Most people were baffled as President Joe Biden allowed an enormous, high-tech Chinese spy balloon to traverse the U.S. mainland, collecting data and sending them off to Beijing as it went, before shooting it down over the Atlantic. They were also horrified to learn three additional “objects” had entered North American airspace undetected over the weekend.
Yet Biden appeared strangely unaware, or at least unwilling to acknowledge, that a profound, game-changing, and irreversible shift in the U.S.-Sino relationship had occurred. During a Wednesday interview with PBS, the president acted oblivious to the gravity of the situation and scoffed at the notion that his order to shoot down the surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean would harm relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I haven’t talked to him during this,” he said. “But, look, I mean, the idea of shooting down a balloon that’s gathering information over America and that makes relations worse?”
Although relations between the world’s top superpowers have always been characterized by mutual distrust, China’s hatred of America has gone largely unchallenged by most Democratic and even some Republican lawmakers. But this episode marks a major turning point. China ’s provocative actions may have just accomplished what would otherwise have been impossible: uniting Americans against a common enemy.
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China’s spy balloon was an awakening indeed. Although not nearly as dramatic as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it nevertheless showed that the Chinese are willing to invade our sovereignty and spy on our people, all with the goal of replacing the United States as the world’s preeminent superpower. Even Democrats have been forced to admit that, rather than being a mere fellow competitor on the world stage, China poses a serious threat to America. In other words, the gloves are off.
Last week, House members voted unanimously ( 419-0 ) to condemn China for sending the balloon. The resolution called it "a brazen violation of United States sovereignty." When was the last time lawmakers agreed on anything?
Ahead of Thursday’s vote, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) delivered an impressive speech on the House floor. He began , “China says it reserves the right to retaliate against America for the temerity of shooting down their spy balloon over our territory. This arrogance should not surprise us. It is the fruit of decades of China successfully pushing us around and getting away with murder.”
The California Democrat pointed out the “lopsided” trade relationship that exists between the U.S. and China and questioned its most favored trading status. He noted its “obfuscation and lack of cooperation” surrounding the origins of COVID-19, which led to the deaths of millions of people and wrecked economies around the world. He blamed China for the fentanyl crisis that has made drug overdoses the leading cause of death for U.S. citizens between 18 and 45. And he enlightened his colleagues on the cost to U.S. corporations of doing business in China.
Biden’s nonchalance and his administration’s failure to provide clarity even to members of Congress has only fueled concerns on both sides of the aisle. And it’s time for some answers.
For starters, why did Biden allow the first balloon to transit the entire U.S. mainland before shooting it down? An uncompromised president might show a little anger over China’s incursions into our airspace. Is Biden compromised by the Chinese government?
Furthermore, what were the capabilities of these balloons? Were they merely listening/recording devices, or were they equipped with technology designed to take down important military sites possibly? More unlikely, but still within the realm of possibility, were these “objects” capable of dispersing biological agents into the atmosphere?
And why were four of these “objects” detected in the U.S. over such a short period of time? Either China sent out a large number of balloons all at once, or the U.S. military has adjusted its methods of detecting their presence in our airspace.
Americans need answers to these questions and more, and if Biden refuses to give them, then Congress must step up and hold his feet to the fire.
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Elizabeth Stauffer is a contributor to the Washington Examiner and the Western Journal . Her articles have appeared at MSN, RedState, Newsmax, the Federalist, and RealClearPolitics. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn .
