Biden ready to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon

The US seems ready to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon.

President Joe Biden limited himself to announcing that he will 'take care of it' but rumors of a plan by his administration are emerging to shoot down the balloon once it reaches the Atlantic and recover its remains.

A plan supported by the decision of the Federal Administration Aviation, the US aviation authority, to close three airports and part of the airspace of North and South Carolina for "national security initiatives".

China: 'Checks in progress but avoid clamor over spy balloon'

Thus, the already very tense climate with Beijing risks heating up, which has tried to tone it down, not without repeating the accusations, to defuse a case that risks creating new problems for Xi Jinping's leadership.

While clarifying that China "will not accept unfounded conjectures" and urging the Americans "not to defame it", China had attempted to restore calm despite the fact that a new spy balloon also popped up today in the South American skies.

"We are receiving reports of one in transit in Latin America - said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder - and we are evaluating whether it is Chinese surveillance".

Wang Yi, the powerful head of Chinese diplomacy, is back on the matter that has already blew up - because "there are no longer the conditions" - the mission to Beijing of Secretary of State Antony Blinken:

the parties "must remain focused, communicate in a timely manner, avoid misjudgments, and handle differences when faced with unexpected situations in a cool and professional manner," the foreign ministry put on paper, reporting the Mandarin version of the Wang-Blinken talks .

As a responsible country, "China strictly adheres to international law. We do not accept any unfounded speculation or propaganda," added Wang, promoted just over a month ago from foreign minister to head of CCP diplomacy.

With another statement, the same ministry reaffirmed that the offending balloon is for civilian use for weather research and flatly accused the US media and politicians who "have taken advantage" and used "the

incident as a pretext to attack and defame China". As for Blinken, "neither side ever announced that there would be a visit.

It is a US matter to have made their latest announcement (on the postponement of the visit, ed) and we respect that". Blinken was expected to travel to Beijing this weekend for talks on a wide range of issues including security, Taiwan, Covid and preparing a new Biden-Xi face-to-face after the one in November 2022 at the G20 in Bali. The same indiscretions that Xi could receive were indicative of the weight given to the mission by the communist leadership. The last US secretary of state in Beijing had been Mike Pompeo in 2018 and was snubbed by the Chinese president. Regardless of some piqued tones (as a reaction to having had to express "

Xi needs the US and the West to revive the economy to the point of having reopened China after three years of obsessive 'zero tolerance' policy on Covid, suddenly interrupted last December.

In its annual report on the Dragon released on Friday, the IMF warned that there is a rebound, but "a high degree of uncertainty weighs on economic growth" between reforms to be promoted and the real estate crisis.

Xi needs the US and the West to revive the economy to the point of having reopened China after three years of obsessive 'zero tolerance' policy on Covid, suddenly interrupted last December.

In its annual report on the Dragon released on Friday, the IMF warned that there is a rebound, but "a high degree of uncertainty weighs on economic growth" between reforms to be promoted and the real estate crisis.

US, Chinese spy balloon flies over base with nuclear missiles in Montana

A direct engagement with Washington is a priority: self-isolation against the pandemic has weighed on international relations, as Xi was able to verify in Bali.

US activism, meanwhile, has led to strengthening the containment of Chinese ambitions among the five new bases in the Philippines that can be used by the US military (useful in the event of Chinese aggression against Taiwan), the recovery of influence between islands in the South Pacific and the squeeze, with Holland and Japan, on exports to China of machinery to produce the precious microchips.

Even a photo opportunity with Blinken would have served Xi to convey the message of a return to normality, to oppose outgoing capital and the push for economic decoupling.