On Thursday, the U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon, prompting a response from Beijing and a call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to his Chinese counterpart. The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning China for the incident, and China's Defense Ministry refused Austin's call for a general-to-general talk. Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not acting quickly enough, and the incident has further complicated the already tense relationship between the U.S. and China.
