As Matt noted earlier today, the Biden administration has done little about the Chinese balloon sailing its merry way across the U.S. Yes, we did scramble some aircraft, but other than that it would appear our government has no plans at the present time for bringing the thing down. And many members of Congress are understandably furious that no action has been taken.
As it turns out, that is not entirely true. We have taken action. Sort of. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has canceled a junket to China. Actually, it has been “indefinitely postponed.” There, that’ll teach them. I’m sure a strongly worded letter is being drafted as we speak. Fox News is reporting that the move came after the aforementioned lawmakers pointed out that the administration has been sitting on its hands. This, as the balloon gathers data–or maybe just tests the Americans’ reaction to the incursion.
Blinken’s trip, which was never officially announced, was ostensibly to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the war between Russia and Ukraine, climate, and human rights. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton was one of the members of the GOP calling for the cancellation, while Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee are demanding Blinken confront the Chinese. Cotton also asked the question many Americans are asking: Why hasn’t the president secured U.S. airspace? American officials are set to meet with a Chinese diplomat to secure some answers.
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Even if, as China claims, this was an accident and the craft is nothing more than a civilian weather balloon (although no serious person believes that), China should have informed the United States that the thing had blown off course, even as it magically found its way over strategic military sites. And frankly, the U.S. has the right to take down any foreign aircraft that enters its airspace. The fact that nothing has been done says that our government is compromised, incompetent, or both.
