No indication that three objects shot down by US linked to Chinese spy balloon programme: Biden
Washington (PTI): The three high-flying objects which were shot down over the American and Canadian airspace this month were not related to the Chinese balloon programme, but most likely tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions, US President Joe Biden said Thursday.
Biden said this in his speech at the White House, his first one after a Chinese balloon was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. Three other high-flying objects were shot down by American fighter jets two in the US and one in Canada.
"The US and Canadian military are seeking to recover the debris so they can learn more about these three objects. The intelligence community is still assessing all three incidences. They're reported to him daily and will continue their urgent efforts to do so, and he will communicate that to the Congress," Biden said.
"We don't yet know exactly what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests they were related to China's spy balloon programme or that they were surveillance vehicles from any other country," he said.
"The intelligence community's current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions studying weather or conducting other scientific research," Biden said.
The President said that when he came into office, he instructed the intelligence community to take a broad look at the phenomenon of unidentified aerial objects.
"We know that a range of entities, including countries, companies, and research organizations, operate objects at altitudes for purposes that are not nefarious, including legitimate scientific research. I want to be clear. We don't have any evidence that there has been a sudden increase in the number of objects in the sky," he said.
"We're now just seeing more of them partially because the steps we've taken to narrow our radars. We have to keep adapting our approach to dealing with these challenges. That's why I've directed my team to come back to me with sharper rules for how we will deal with these unidentified objects moving forward, distinguishing between those that are likely to pose safety and security risks that necessitate action and those that do not," he said.
Biden at the same time asserted that the US will shoot down any object that threatens American security.
"If any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down. I'll be sharing with the Congress these classified policy parameters when they are completed, and they'll remain classified, so we don't give our roadmap to our enemies to try to evade our defences," he said.
The President shared details of the policy parameters adding that he has directed his national security advisor to lead a government-wide effort to make sure they are positioned to deal safely and effectively with the objects in US airspace.
"First, we will establish a better inventory of unmanned airborne objects in space above the United States airspace and make sure that inventory is accessible and up to date. Second, we will implement further measures to improve our capacity to detect unmanned objects in our airspace. Third, we'll update the rules and regulations for launching and maintaining unmanned objects in the skies above the United States of America," Biden said.
The Secretary of State, he said, will lead an effort to help establish a common global norm in this largely unregulated space. "These steps will lead to safer and more secure skies for air travellers, military, scientists, and for people on the ground as well."
"As the events of the previous days have shown, we'll always act to protect the interests of the American people and the security of the American people. Since I came to office, we've developed the ability to identify, track, and study high altitude surveillance balloons connected with the Chinese military," Biden said.
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Canada is already examining tariffs on certain US items following Trump's tariff threat
Toronto (AP/PTI): Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official has said.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don't stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25 per cent tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders.
But Trump posted Wednesday evening on Truth Social that he had a "wonderful conversation" with new Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and she "agreed to stop Migration through Mexico".
"Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!" Trump posted.
It was unclear what impact the conversation will have on Trump's plan to impose tariffs.
In Canada, a government official said on Wednesday that Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.
When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the US in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Many of the US products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact. For example, Canada imports USD 3 million worth of yogurt from the US annually and most comes from one plant in Wisconsin, home state of then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. That product was hit with a 10 per cent duty.
Another product on the list was whiskey, which comes from Tennessee and Kentucky, the latter of which is the home state of then-Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump made the threat Monday while railing against an influx of illegal migrants, even though the numbers at Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border.
The US Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024.
Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are ready to make new investments in border security and work with the Trump administration to lower the numbers from Canada. The Canadians are also worried about a influx north of migrants if Trump follows through with his plan for mass deportations.
Trump also railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border pale in comparison to the Mexican border. US customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.
Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly USD 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60 per cent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85 per cent of US electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Canada's provinces. He stressed they need to present a united front.
"I don't want to minimize for a moment the gravity of the challenge we now face," Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. "Now is really a moment for us not to squabble amongst ourselves."
The provincial premiers want Trudeau to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico.
Sheinbaum, Mexico's president, said earlier Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs "if the situation comes to that."
She later said she talked to Trump and had "an excellent conversation".
