BIDEN STANDS UP FOR CHINA: Biden says China’s ‘silly balloon’ derailed open communications with Beijing.

The U.S. had reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to maintain open lines of communication with the country, but the spy craft incident earlier this year derailed the effort, President Biden says.

Biden made the statement during a news conference in Hiroshima, Japan, where he was present for talks with other G-7 countries on Sunday. Biden claimed that China’s balloon had temporarily stalled chances for open dialogue between Washington and Beijing. The president did say he maintains hopes to reopen those talks in the near future.

“How will you manage the diplomatic relationship with China?” a reporter asked in the early morning briefing.

“Well, number one, you’re right. We should have an open line [of communications]. With the Bali conference that’s what President Xi and I agreed that we were going to do and meet on,” Biden responded. “And then this silly balloon that was carrying two free cars worth of spy equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shut down and changed in terms of talking to one another.”

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