Lessons from Beijing’s Balloon Belligerence

On January 28th, the Chinese Communist Party sent a spy balloon into our airspace. It took President Biden until February 1st to order that it be shot down, which finally occurred on February 4th after its surveillance mission was complete.

This episode offers two notable insights: First, the balloon is kaput, but not the rest of the CCP’s comprehensive efforts to steal our secrets, including via: satellites, cyber techniques and countless human “collectors,” both spies as well as students, businessmen and tourists.

Second, the Biden administration concealed from the American people the balloon’s presence in the interest of having Secretary of State Tony Blinken travel to Beijing for meetings meant to promote the idea that the Chinese Communists are partners, not a threat.

The CCP actually is America’s mortal enemy. We cannot safely obscure that reality, or fail to defend ourselves against it.

This is Frank Gaffney.