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US President Joe Biden will not apologize to Chinese President Xi Jinping for shooting down Beijing’s spy balloon. Photo/Collage/Sindonews
WASHINGTON – President United States of America (AS) Joe Biden will not apologize for shooting it down Chinese spy balloon off the coast of America. He said the US would now increase detection of such aerial objects.
Biden also said he would speak to the Chinese President soon Xi Jinping about the incident.
“I hope we will sort this out, but I make no apologies for shooting that balloon down,” Biden said at the White House.
China has denied the balloon was used for spying, instead saying it exploded while collecting weather data.
But Biden reiterated US officials’ view that the balloon, which crossed the country at about 40,000 feet before being shot down by US fighter jets over the Atlantic, was actually being used for spying.
Read: China Vows Revenge on US over Spy Balloons
He said the US was continuing to talk to China about the issue.
“We are not looking for a new cold war,” Biden said.
Speaking of three other objects later shot down over Alaska, northwestern Canada, and Lake Huron on the US-Canadian border, Biden said the intelligence community believes they were most likely balloons belonging to private companies, recreational or research institutions.
The US president said radar improvements introduced in response to the Chinese balloons may explain the discovery of the three objects.
