Joe Biden Downplays Chinese Spy Balloon Incident: 'It's Not A Major Breach'

President Joe Biden on Thursday said a Chinese spy balloon transiting the U.S. was not a major security breach.

What Happened: Biden, who faced massive criticism from his opponents after a Chinese spy balloon intruded U.S. airspace before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean, said he did not regret shooting down the balloon sooner.

“It’s not a major breach,” Biden said in a Noticias Telemundo interview, reported Reuters.

“I mean, look, it’s totally … it’s a violation of international law. It’s our airspace. And once it comes into our space, we can do what we want with it.”

See Also: China Reacts To US Downing Of Spy Balloon: ‘Reserving The Right To Take Further Actions In Response’

The U.S. president added that the military officials had expressed concerns that by shooting it down over land, the deflated balloon and its parts could drop into a populated area.

Comments from Biden were prompted by the criticism from some Republicans and Democrats, who said the Biden administration should have had the balloon downed sooner.

“This thing was gigantic. What happened if it came down and hit a school in a rural area? What happened if it came down? So I told them as soon as they could shoot it down, shoot it down. They made a wise decision. They shot it down over water, they’re recovering most of the parts, and they’re good,” he said.

Meanwhile, a senior State Department official said the U.S. would explore taking action against entities connected to the Chinese army that supported the flight of a Beijing spy balloon into U.S. airspace last week. 

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