US President Joe Biden has expressed his hope to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the next few months. He also suggested that Chinese leaders were not aware of details surrounding an alleged spy balloon that the US shot down in February. Speaking to reporters on Saturday before boarding Air Force One to Philadelphia, Biden said that "China has some legitimate difficulties unrelated to the United States." He also added that he doesn't think that the leadership knew where the balloon was or knew what was in it and knew what was going on.
Biden further commented that "I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional," in terms of the balloon incident, which caused the postponement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's initial trip to Beijing to meet senior Chinese officials in an attempt to lower tension and avoid outright conflict between the US and China. Biden has also said in his statement that he is keen to have another meeting with President Xi Jinping. The two leaders have previously met in Bali, Indonesia last November.
In addition, President Biden commented on President Vladimir Putin's announcement that Russia has delivered its first tactical nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus. Biden expressed his view that the move is "totally irresponsible." As tensions among the US, China, and Russia continue to escalate, Biden's comments demonstrate a desire for diplomacy and peaceful solutions in resolving disputes between nations.