The case deflates. While the United States shot down three high-flying craft between Friday and last Sunday, “there is no indication, at this stage, that they were linked to the Chinese spy balloon program or that it was surveillance vehicles from another country,” said Joe Biden from the White House on Thursday.
The US President explained that after the Chinese balloon incursion, “our military closely monitored our airspace” and detected these objects which posed a potential danger to civil aviation, and he ordered that they be removed. slaughtered.
But according to the partial findings of US intelligence, “these three objects were likely balloons related to private companies, hobbies or research institutes studying the weather or conducting scientific research,” according to Biden. Operations are currently underway to recover debris. There is no increase in the traffic of these objects either, specified the American president: they were simply detected because the American army “took measures to improve (its) radars”.
Biden plans to talk to Xi
“We don’t want a new Cold War” and “will continue to talk with China,” the US president said in a short speech. “I hope I can speak with President Xi and get to the bottom of this matter, but I make no apologies for bringing down this balloon,” he added. “If a (flying) object poses a threat to the safety of Americans, I will have it shot down,” insisted the American president.
The United States destroyed a Chinese balloon on February 4, which they believe was carrying out a spy mission. Then they shot down, on February 10, 11 and 12, “objects” that have not yet been identified. Joe Biden ordered the last three destruction operations in the name of air transport security, which the White House said could have been compromised by these “objects” flying at altitudes close to those of airliners.
Faced with numerous questions, the White House had clarified that there was “no indication of extraterrestrial activity”.