Biden says Xi was unaware of wayward balloon, wants relationship

US President Joe Biden meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov 14, 2022. - Reuters file photo

WASHINGTON (Bloomberg): Chinese President Xi Jinping was unaware that the alleged spy balloon that floated over the continental US had blown off course until the matter became an international incident, President Joe Biden told donors on Tuesday (June 20).

Likening the incident to a strongman being kept in the dark, Biden described the flap as a embarrassment for the Chinese leader in remarks to a crowd at a Marin County, California fundraiser.