US President Joe Biden said that the recent shooting down of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that appeared over the US would not affect US-China relations.
President Biden answered a related question from reporters at the White House yesterday (6th), saying, “We made it clear to China what we will do,” and “they understand our position.”
“We will not back down, we did the right thing,” he stressed.
“It is not a matter of weakening or strengthening (US-China relations), it is just a matter of reality,” he said.
Meanwhile, the US Coast Guard set up a temporary security area off the coast of South Carolina to recover the remains of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon and continued the search operation.
In this regard, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Maoning said at a regular briefing today (7th) when asked if he had asked the US to return the wreckage of the balloon, saying, “The balloon is not American,” adding, “The Chinese government continues to defend China’s legitimate rights and interests. will do,” he said.
Earlier, the US Department of Defense announced on the 2nd that a Chinese balloon believed to be for reconnaissance had appeared over the US, and on the 4th it was shot down by an F-22 fighter jet.
In response, the Chinese government claims that the balloon is a civilian instrument for weather observation, and that it entered the US airspace forcefully.
VOA news
*This article was sourced from Reuters.
