WH Defends Action On "Objects", Not Right Time For Blinken China Trip

WH NSC spox John Kirby has defended President's Biden's decision to shoot down unidentified aerial objects over the US last week and said that, although Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have an open line of communication, now is not the right time to reschedule Secretary of State Antony Blinken's postponed trip to China.

• Kirby says, despite evidence that the "objects" are likely benign, the security environment which followed the incursion of the Chinese "spy balloon" dictated shooting down the objects as the best course of action.
• Kirby says new rules will be in place for future occurrences but "that doesn't mean there won't be additional shootdowns" if there is a "legitimate threat to national security."
• On if the Administration regrets the military response: "Given the information that we had at the time, and the legitimate concerns about potential surveillance in the wake of the Chinese 'spy balloon,' … the short answer is no."
• On future diplomacy with China, Kirby says: "There is an open line of communication" between Biden and Xi but the White House doesn't believe now, "is the appropriate time for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to travel to Beijing."