President Biden on Saturday claimed that a Chinese spy balloon that drifted across the U.S. and caused a major international incident was "more embarrassing than it was intentional" by the communist regime.
The president also said he hopes to talk to China's President Xi Jinping about how the U.S. and Beijing can "get along."Biden was asked whether Secretary of State Antony Blinken can ease tensions with China as part of his trip to the country.
Biden, in response, raised the issue of the balloon, which flew over the U.S. in February until it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina."China has some legitimate difficulties unrelated to the United States, and I think one of the things that balloon caused was not so much that it got shot down, but I don't think the leadership knew where it was, knew what it was in it and what was going on," he said.BIDEN ADMIN CONFIRMS CHINA SPY BASE EFFORTS IN CUBA, CALLS IT ‘ONGOING ISSUE'"I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional," he said.U.S.
Air Force pilot looks down at the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovered over the Central Continental, United States February 3, 2023.