“We’ll take care of that.” Called on to react to the entry of a Chinese balloon into US airspace, which cooled relations between Washington and Beijing, Joe Biden remained elusive.
The president of the United States said this Saturday that he was going to “take care of him”, without further details when he had just landed aboard Air Force One in Syracuse, New York, where he will have to spend a few hours. After these few words, he immediately got into a car.
According to US media, the Chinese balloon, which according to the Pentagon is a “spy” balloon, was observed this Saturday over North Carolina on the east coast of the United States. Beijing acknowledged that it was indeed a device from China, describing a “civilian aircraft, used for research purposes, mainly meteorological.”
“Involuntary” violation of US airspace
The aircraft would have “deviated from its trajectory”, added a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, expressing his country’s “regret” for this “involuntary” violation of US airspace. The balloon notably flew over the state of Montana, which is home to nuclear missile silos, before moving east.
It has so far been decided not to shoot it down, due to the risks potential debris poses to people on the ground, a senior Pentagon official said.
Source: BFM TV
