During a briefing at the White House, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre about China’s alleged secret police stations operating in the U.S. and the recent sightings of China’s spycraft flying over the country.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre avoided a question on Wednesday about when President Biden would confront Chinese President Xi Jinping about China’s recent increased aggression toward the United States
Doocy asked why it was taking so long for President Biden to call Xi and tell him to “cut it out,” to which Jean-Pierre replied that the President intended to call Xi Jinping, but she did not have a call to report at this time. She reiterated the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with China while acknowledging the strategic competition between the two countries.
The FBI arrested two New York residents on Monday for allegedly operating a secret Chinese government police station in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood. This arrest followed the discovery of similar stations across North America in cities such as Los Angeles, Houston, and Toronto.
Additionally, China flew a surveillance craft across the continental U.S. recently, prompting President Biden to order it shot down off the coast of South Carolina.
This was only the most recent of several such incursions into U.S. airspace
While Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned meeting with his Chinese counterpart over the balloon debacle, President Biden has yet to speak with Xi regarding China’s various breaches of U.S. sovereignty. The two leaders last spoke publicly in November 2022, despite President Biden stating in mid-February that he expected to speak with Xi and “get to the bottom of this.”
The White House has maintained its position that it is important to maintain open lines of communication with China, even as the two countries engage in strategic competition. However, as China’s aggressive actions toward the U.S. continue, pressure is mounting on President Biden to take a stronger stance and address these issues with President Xi directly.