Biden claims that the Chinese spy balloon is not a significant security issue.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. President Joe Biden, under fire from some lawmakers, said on Thursday that a Chinese spy balloon that passed through the United States before being shot down in the Atlantic Ocean did not constitute a major security breach.

Biden, who has sought to maintain communications with China and avoid escalating tensions with Beijing,

In an interview with Noticias Telemundo, he stated that he did not regret shooting down the balloon sooner.

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He claimed that American military officials were concerned that if the balloon and its components were shot down over land, they may fall into a populated area.

"It's not a significant breach," Biden said. "Look, it's completely... It is against international law. This is our airspace. And once it enters our domain, we can do whatever we want with it."

He claimed that American military officials were concerned that if the balloon and its components were shot down over land, they may fall into a populated area.

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"This thing was enormous. What would happen if it fell and hit a rural school? What would happen if it fell? So I told them to shoot it down as soon as they could. They made the right decision. They shot it down over water, recovered the majority of the parts, and they're fine "He stated.

On February 2, Biden ordered the balloon to be shot down once it crossed into the northwestern United States, but he agreed to the US military's request to wait until it was over water.