Biden's Bid To Deescalate Tensions With Xi Jinping Post-Balloon Incident Blocked By Advisers: NBC

In a recent development, President Joe Biden expressed his desire to communicate with Chinese President Xi Jinping following the U.S. military’s shooting down of a Chinese surveillance balloon. However, his top national security advisers dissuaded him from this course of action, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

What Happened: Biden was keen on leveraging his relationship with Xi to deescalate the newly heightened tensions with Beijing, NBC News reports. His advisers, however, suggested that it was not the right time for a leader-to-leader conversation and recommended starting with lower or midlevel officials. The Chinese were reportedly too incensed over the decision to shoot down the balloon, which had been flying across the U.S. for a week, for a phone call with Xi to be productive.

Why It Matters: The incident has further strained U.S.-China relations, with the White House postponing Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s imminent Beijing trip and accusing China of considering providing lethal military aid to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. This comes after GOP senators urged Biden to take tougher action against China and release the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s findings on the Chinese balloons.

The U.S. had previously recovered key sensors from the downed Chinese spy balloon, which China maintains was an unmanned civilian airship that strayed off course. The incident sparked a flurry of reactions, including a tweet from Edward Snowden questioning the cost of shooting down the balloons. Despite the controversy, Biden downplayed the incident as not a major security breach.

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