MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell said Tuesday that it was “politically courageous” for President Joe Biden to not take an aggressive stance on China in his State of the Union Address.
Congressional Republicans and Democrats have worked to take action against and investigate the Chinese Communist Party at the beginning of 118th Congress. Mitchell argued that members of Congress likely wanted Biden to be increasingly aggressive on China following the Chinese surveillance balloon transiting across the continental United States.
“On China, what Joe Biden did tonight by not taking on China more aggressively was politically courageous if you will, in terms of the domestic support,” Mitchell said. “As you know very well, the polling is that they want a tougher line and the Republicans are in line with that, and a lot of Democrats are and there’s gonna be a resolution next week, and it’s gonna pass with Democrat support.”
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In his address, the president said the United States is “in the strongest position in decades” to compete with China and is committed to “act to protect” the nation against Chinese threats.
“Today, we’re in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world,” he said. “I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if China’s threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did. And let’s be clear: winning the competition with China should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world.”
House Republicans collaborated with top Democrats Monday to put forth and pass a resolution to condemn the spy balloon. Republicans initially aimed to pass a resolution condemning Biden’s handling of the incident on the day of the speech, but some in the party, including Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas, convinced his side to form a bipartisan agreement.
The House voted 365-65 to establish a select committee to investigate the economic and technological challenges posed by China. The committee, which garnered Democratic support, is chaired by Republican Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher. (RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene Appears To Troll Biden With Prop Chinese Balloon Ahead Of SOTU)
Biden received widespread criticism from Republicans for delaying the destruction of the balloon, which traveled across Montana and moved eastward over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The U.S. military shot down the balloon Saturday with a F-22 fighter jet, several days its discovery.
The Department of Defense (DOD) defended its decision to wait as it analyzed and gained more knowledge about China’s surveillance methods.