Chinese Media: "Biden Exaggerates Spy Balloon... Risks in China-US Relations Grow"

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyunjung] Chinese state media Global Times (GT) reported on the 7th that President Joe Biden and political forces in the United States, including the Republican Party, have been continuously exaggerating China's reconnaissance balloon ahead of the State of the Union address. In the actual speech, President Biden sent a warning message to China, stating that "if sovereignty is threatened, we will take action."

GT emphasized, "President Joe Biden and the Republican Party are still exaggerating the Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle (reconnaissance balloon) incident to gain political interests ahead of the State of the Union address." The related report came out just before Biden's speech.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lu Xiang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out in the state media Global Times that "As the leader of the ruling party governing the United States, Biden should calm the incident and properly manage its impact, but he is escalating tensions and overreacting together with Republicans." He added, "Biden is trying to make the most of this incident to avoid being criticized for a weak China policy," and predicted, "He will try to prove that he can continue to take a tough stance against China."

Jin Chanlong, a professor in the Department of International Relations at Renmin University in Beijing, explained in an interview with GT, "This incident reflects that, whether we like it or not, a new Cold War against China by the United States has already begun." Professor Jin pointed out, "Despite China's sincere and transparent efforts to minimize the negative impact caused by this incident (reconnaissance balloon), the hostility from the United States is absurdly high."

Professor Jin predicted that this conflict originated from partisan struggles within the United States and will also escalate into the Taiwan issue. He argued, "The partisan struggle in the United States will continue to negatively affect China-US relations," and "More importantly, the United States continues to be provocative regarding the Taiwan issue." He added, "House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is planning another visit to Taiwan, and American politicians are also planning to invite Taiwan separatist leader Tsai Ing-wen," concluding, "The outlook for China-US relations this year is becoming increasingly pessimistic and dangerous."

Meanwhile, President Biden said in his speech at the joint session of Congress that "I made it clear to Chinese President Xi Jinping that we seek competition, not conflict," and "I promise to cooperate with China in areas where China can promote American interests and benefit the world." However, he emphasized, "Make no mistake," and "As I clearly stated last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country, and we have already done so." Although he did not mention it directly, this statement is interpreted as referring to the Chinese reconnaissance balloon. Earlier, the US Department of Defense detected a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that entered US airspace on the 28th of last month and shot it down on the 4th. The United States has claimed that this reconnaissance balloon incident is a clear violation of sovereignty.