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Biden says ‘dumb balloon’ was responsible for deflating US-China relations – but predicted there would soon be a ‘thaw’
President Joe Biden has accused the spy balloon incident of deflating relations with China
At his press conference in Hiroshima, Biden said “that silly balloon” was shot down and “everything changed in terms of the conversation.”
He added: ‘I think you’re going to see it start to thaw out pretty soon’
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President Joe Biden has blamed the spy balloon incident for deflating relations with China, but predicted they would soon be better during his Sunday night press conference in Hiroshima.
The president agreed that the United States and China should have an “open hotline”, adding that it was something he and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to when they met last fall in Bali.
“And then this silly balloon carrying two freight cars with spy equipment flew over the United States and it was shot down and everything changed in terms of the conversation,” Biden told reporters.
He added: “I think you’re going to see that start to unfreeze very soon.”
Biden also explained in simple terms the view of the G7 countries on China: “We are not looking to dissociate ourselves from China. We seek to reduce risk and diversify our relationship with China,” he said.
President Joe Biden has blamed the spy balloon incident for deflating relations with China, but predicted they would soon be better during his Sunday night press conference in Hiroshima.
A U.S. Air Force U-2 pilot watches a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it flies over the United States on February 3
He talked about it in terms of supply chains, with the United States wanting to be less dependent on China and other foreign countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese spy balloon saga captured the nation’s attention for a few days in late January and February.
The balloon was floating above most of the continental United States before Biden ordered it shot down over water with THE Air Force sends F-22 fighter jet armed with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to get the job done.
Republican haters barked at Biden for not shooting him down soon enough, while the White House argued the size of the balloon’s package – equivalent to the size of an airliner – made the Pentagon wary of it. shoot down above the earth.
China was supposed to take center stage at this year’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, and be the focus of the Quad Summit, which was due to take place later this week in Sydney, Australia.
But the president’s domestic woes – the ongoing debt crisis – led him to announce that the Australia and Papua New Guinea portions of the trip would be cancelled.
The quad leaders – those from Australia, Japan, India and the United States – instead met on the sidelines of the G7 in Hiroshima on Saturday night.
Moreover, the surprise in-person appearance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the summit turned much of the conversation to the war in Ukraine.
Biden: ‘Silly balloon’ responsible for deflating China relationship