[ワシントン ９日 ロイター] – U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that there was no serious breach of security in the downing of a Chinese spy balloon after it flew over the United States.
“It’s not a serious violation,” he said in an interview with Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo. “It violates international law. It’s US airspace. Once in airspace, we’re free to do that,” he said.
Biden has said he has no regrets about the timing of the downing, saying that shooting it down on land would destroy the balloon and its components in populated areas. Military officials were concerned that the plane could fall into the air, he said.
“This balloon is huge. What would happen if it fell on a local school? So I instructed them to shoot it down as soon as they could. There is no problem,” he said.