US President Joe Biden plans to talk to Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, to “get to the bottom” of the situation involving the suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina two weeks ago.
Biden said he gave the order for a US fighter jet to shoot the balloon, which flew over North America for eight days, in a way that ensured no harm to civilians while at the same time sending a strong message to China.
“We shot it down, sending a clear message . . . that the violation of our sovereignty is unacceptable,” Biden said on Thursday in short remarks that followed days of criticism from Republicans over his relative silence on the issue.