Federal lawmakers are demanding action to counter the “threat” posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was detected moving over northern states this week.
Members of Congress in both parties are calling the spy balloon an unacceptable violation of U.S. airspace and American sovereignty. The chairman and ranking member of the new select committee on China, Reps. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., put out a joint statement Thursday condemning China ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart.
“The Chinese Communist Party should not have on-demand access to American airspace. Not only is this a violation of American sovereignty, coming only days before Secretary Blinken’s trip to the PRC, but it also makes clear that the CCP’s recent diplomatic overtures do not represent a substantive change in policy. Indeed, this incident demonstrates that the CCP threat is not confined to distant shores – it is here at home and we must act to counter this threat,” the lawmakers said.
The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party was formed with broad bipartisan support last month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said the U.S. is in a “new Cold War” with China, and Republicans promised to establish the panel in the 118th Congress as a formal response to Chinese military and economic aggression.
CHINESE SPY BALLOON: HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY ASKS FOR GANG OF EIGHT BRIEFING AFTER FLYING OBJECT FOUND OVER US
A balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, Feb. 1, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media.
(Chase Doak/via Reuters)
On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder announced that the government detected a high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental U.S.
Ryder said the government was closely monitoring the balloon and that it “does not…