US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that relations between Washington and Beijing should see a “thaw very soon”, after Washington shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon this year. Joe Biden explained that relations soured in the months following his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali in November.
Washington’s decision to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon that allegedly flew over the United States in February sparked a diplomatic row between the two powers. A visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which had been heralded as an opportunity to improve relations, was canceled after the balloon incident. During a press conference on Sunday after the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Joe Biden was asked why the direct line of communication between the United States and China was not operational. .
“That Stupid Balloon”
“You’re right, we should have an open hotline. At the Bali conference, that’s what President Xi and I agreed to do and meet,” he said. “And then this stupid balloon” carrying “spy equipment” “flew over the United States”, added Joe Biden. “He was shot and everything changed in terms of dialogue. I think you’re going to see the start of a thaw very soon.”
The Biden administration has also infuriated China by cracking down on trade in semiconductors that Washington says carry risks of military use. The US president defended the actions on Sunday, a day after the G7 warned China against its “militarization activities” in the region. “China is developing its military, and that’s why I made it clear that I was not ready to trade on certain items with them,” he said.
“We got a commitment from all of our allies that they won’t do that either, that they won’t provide that kind of material. But it’s not a hostile act, it’s an act that says: “We’re going to make sure we do everything in our power to maintain the status quo.”