U.S. President Joe Biden plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the U.S. military's downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. The aerial object was destroyed by a U.S. fighter jet earlier this month after it traversed U.S. and Canadian airspace.
- "I expect to be speaking with President Xi," said Biden on Thursday as he delivered his most extensive remarks to date concerning the balloon incident.
- Biden noted that the U.S. is "not looking for a new cold war," and said he hopes the discussion will provide further clarity on the circumstances surrounding the balloon incident.
- He said he makes "no apologies" for ordering the object's destruction.
- Biden did not specify when he plans to talk with Xi but said that Washington is discussing the issue with Beijing.
- U.S. authorities detected a high-altitude Chinese balloon flying over U.S. airspace on Jan. 28 and deployed a fighter jet to destroy it on Feb. 4.
- The U.S. alleged that the aerial object was being used for surveillance while China maintains that the device was a civilian weather balloon.
