The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has appeared this Thursday for the first time to talk about the Chinese balloon and the unidentified objects that American fighters have shot down over the airspace.
There is no indication that the three objects shot down last week, he has admitted, have ties to China.
They appeared to be of a commercial, recreational, or scientific type.
But he has made it clear: "If an object threatens the safety of the American people, I will shoot it down."
At the same time that he has launched that message of firmness, Biden has extended his hand to dialogue with China.
As he has said since the beginning of his presidency, he has reiterated the message that he wants competition, not conflict, between the two superpowers.
“We are not looking for a new Cold War, but I am not apologizing.
I do not apologize and we will compete and we will responsibly manage that competition so that it does not lead to conflict, ”he said in his message on the bilateral relationship.
According to Biden, this episode underscores the importance of keeping the lines of communication open between diplomats and the military of both countries.
“Our diplomats will continue to talk and I will continue to communicate with President Xi.
I am grateful for the work of our intelligence, diplomatic and military professionals in recent weeks”, he said.
He has promised to keep Congress and allies up to date and has left an undated plan: "I hope to speak with President Xi and I hope we get to the bottom of the problem, but I do not apologize for bringing down that balloon," he concluded.
In his State of the Union address, without expressly referring to the balloon that crossed the country from Montana to South Carolina, Biden did issue a warning to his strategic rival: "If China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country." , said.
“I have made it clear to President Xi [Jinping] that we seek competition, not conflict.
I will not apologize for investing to make America strong, investing in American innovation, in future-defining industries that the Chinese government intends to dominate,” he also noted.
However, Biden had remained silent until today about the objects downed last week, despite the military response they generated.
After the appearance of the Chinese balloon equipped with antennas and to which Washington attributed espionage purposes from the beginning (which Beijing denies), the United States adjusted the parameters of its radars.
It's usually difficult to detect high-altitude, slow-moving objects, but with these filter changes, several unidentified flying objects turned up in the past week (in Alaska, Canada's Yukon region, and over Lake Huron). , shot down between last Friday and Sunday.
The downed object on Friday came down over US territorial waters north of Alaska, largely frozen over in the dead of winter.
The one on Saturday, in a remote and rugged area of northwest Canada.
And the remains of the man killed on Sunday are believed to have sunk to the depths of Lake Huron.
The fighter that fired at this last object, apparently octagonal in shape, failed to launch its first missile.
This Thursday, Biden has started talking about them.
She has acknowledged that there are no indications that these objects have ties to China or other intelligence services.
“We know that a number of entities, including countries, companies, and research organizations, operate with high-altitude objects for purposes that are not malevolent, including legitimate scientific research.
I want to be clear, we don't have any proof that there was a sudden increase in the number of objects in the sky.
We are simply seeing more now than in part due to the measures we have taken to adjust our radars, ”she explained.
Perhaps aware that this spectacle of a daily operation to hunt down and shoot down unidentified flying objects was not sustainable, he has ordered his team to present him with more precise regulations on how to treat these unidentified objects in the future, distinguishing between the that may pose safety risks that require action and those that do not.
In that context he has said: "But make no mistake, if an object poses a threat to the security of the American people, I will shoot it down."
A four step plan
The President of the United States has announced four classes of measures to meet the challenge of flying objects.
The first thing will be to establish a better inventory of unmanned aerial objects over US airspace that is accessible and up-to-date.
Second, the United States will apply new measures to improve its ability to detect objects in its airspace.
Third, it will review the rules and regulations for launching and maintaining unmanned objects in your skies.
And fourth, it will promote global common standards internationally in this largely unregulated space.
“These steps will lead to safer and more secure skies for our air travelers, our military, our scientists, and also for people on the ground,” Biden said.
Of the objects from last week, the remains of all or some of them may not be recovered and what they were may not be known.
The spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, has already announced that there are no indications that the objects were Chinese or intelligence or espionage artifacts from any other foreign power.
He also ruled out that they were of extraterrestrial origin.
Kirby explained that the objects did not have their own propulsion, but instead swayed in the wind at high altitude.
They also apparently had no surveillance or communication mechanisms.
“The possibility that they are balloons simply linked to commercial or research entities and, therefore, benign, is not ruled out.
That very well could be, or could emerge, as a main explanation here," Kirby said on Tuesday, in line with Biden's statement on Thursday.
There are no certainties either, he admitted.
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