Cotton criticizes Vice President Harris for ‘refusing to acknowledge’ the extent of the Chinese threat

Sen. Tom Cotton, D-Arkansas, on Thursday slammed Vice President Kamala Harris for the fact that a recent U.S. downed Chinese reconnaissance balloon that spent several days over American soil should not affect diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing.

“Vice President Harris’ recent statements about refusing to acknowledge that China is a threat to America is yet another example of the administration’s lack of seriousness in opposing the CCP. [ruling Chinese Communist Party]’ Cotton wrote on Twitter.

The senator’s tweet comes in response to a Politico interview with Harris that was released on Wednesday. In an interview, Harris was asked if the balloon incident should affect U.S.-China relations, and he replied, “I don’t think so, no.”

Harris was also asked to describe the Biden administration’s approach to China. “We seek competition, not conflict or confrontation,” she said. “Everything that has happened over the past week and a half, we believe, is fully consistent with our stated approach.”

Harris’ comments came more than a week after the US decided to shoot down a Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina, leading to a verbal altercation between both countries. Members of both political parties condemned the invasion of US airspace and criticized the Biden administration for not shooting it down sooner.

The White House said it waited until the balloon was a safe distance from civilians to act, although the US has since shot down other targets over US soil. The US did not say the other objects came from China.

According to the New York Times, senior US officials increasingly believe that a Chinese spy balloon was originally supposed to monitor US military bases in Guam and Hawaii, but winds swept it off course to Alaska, Canada, and then to the mainland. USA.

Screenshot of a Chinese military propaganda video that was posted to Chinese state media. (Chinese PLA)

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Cotton is associated with history and scolded the administration for waiting respond to Chinese espionage.

“The ongoing appeasement of China by the Biden administration is embarrassing. It is no coincidence that a balloon that flew over the United States flew over military installations, ”Cotton wrote. “We now know that the first Chinese balloon had the tools to gather intelligence, which it was able to do because President Biden refused to shoot it down over Alaska.”

Harris’ interview came before she was scheduled to lead the US delegation to the Munich Security Conference this week. A senior Chinese diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, is present, but Harris told Politico she has nothing planned with him.

A suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts into the ocean after it was shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, February 4, 2023. (Reuters/Randall Hill)

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However, Reuters reported that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is also attending the conference, is considering meeting with his counterpart. According to Cotton, such a meeting would be a sign of weakness.

“And after making excuses for China this week, Anthony Blinken is considering meeting his Chinese counterpart in Munich this weekend to try to wipe everything out.” wrote Cotton.

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Blinken postponed a planned trip to China earlier this month due to controversy over a Chinese observation balloon.