Rep. Turner: Blame Biden for Chinese Aggression

Weak actions by the Biden administration are responsible for increased military hostility by China, House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Mike Turner told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday, saying the United States must "stand strong" against Beijing's hostile intentions.

The Ohio Republican made the comments after several incidents in recent days between U.S. and Chinese planes and ships, including a Chinese warship coming within 150 yards of hitting an American destroyer on Saturday during a rare joint Canada-U.S. mission sailing through the Taiwan Strait.

Turner explained the increased aggressiveness from Beijing, saying, "When you have, for example, a balloon that transits all across the United States and the administration doesn't respond until the game's over, until it's over the Atlantic, ... and when you have police stations that have been operating within the United States that took forever in order for them to take action, you get this sort of sense of permissiveness."

When Turner, who said the U.S. needs "to stand strong, and certainly this administration needs to stand strong against this type of coercion," was asked what does that really mean, he said, "I think the administration needs to step up and make clear that China has identified itself as an adversary, and we're going to treat it as such."

Turner said the balloon incident and the aggressiveness against American planes and ships in international waters "goes right to the heart of what President Xi [Jinping] said when he stood next to [President Vladimir] Putin in Russia where he said they are trying to make change that has not happened in 100 years."

The congressman added that this change refers to World War I and World War II, which  "was about democracy versus authoritarianism. They're trying to flex their muscles and advance authoritarianism."

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