After the US shot down a surveillance balloon and three other ‘unidentified’ objects, President Joe Biden says he intends to speak to Chinese President Xi. However, there is no evidence two of the objects were related to any Chinese program.
The president, speaking at the White House Thursday, said the US will continue to engage with China.
“We seek competition, not conflict with China. We’re not looking for a new Cold War,” Biden said. “But I make no apologies and we will compete.”
In related news, President Biden indicated he had instructed his national security adviser to lead a government-wide effort to safely address objects in airspace.
Biden outlined four main measures:
- The US will establish a better inventory of unmanned airborne objects above the country’s airspace and make sure it is “accessible and up to date.”
- The US will implement measures to improve its capacity to detect unmanned objects.
- Officials will update rules and regulations for launching and maintaining unmanned objects above the US.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken will lead an effort to help “establish common global norms in this largely unregulated space.”
“These steps will lead to safer and more secure skies for our air travelers, our military, our scientists and for people on the ground as well,” Biden said.