Originally published by the American Peace Information Center (APIC) – apic.us.org
This week, People’s China was again widely attacked with headlines in corporate news reporting a plot to spy on the US with a giant balloon. This article, and others, clarify that US defense officials do not believe the balloon presents a significant intelligence risk. The Chinese Foreign Minister made a statement that the balloon is civilian-owned and designed for meteorological research. Although many of these articles shed additional light on the situation, the damage of headlines legitimizing nefarious intent has been done. Many right-wing reactionaries are angry with Biden for being too ‘soft’ and refusing to shoot the balloon down or take military action. US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had been scheduled to fly to China, but his trip was postponed due to the situation.
Mike Pompeo, a Secretary of State during the Trump Administration, posted the ‘quiet part’ out loud Wednesday afternoon. People’s China may not be acting with malicious intent regarding the balloon. Either way, the US military should be ready to deter People’s China for economic reasons. We could point at the audacity of Pompeo for ignoring the US embargo on Cuba that the UN condemns. We must, however, not ignore the danger of this growing attitude against the PRC. Previously, the peace movement has ignored similar attacks against the country of Russia. This failure has led to our tax dollars, general opinion, and even some so-called peace groups supporting the side of Ukrainian fascists with Neo-Nazi symbolism on their uniforms. As rising inflation and interest rates continue to plague American workers, we must look out for an increasing rate of attacks aimed towards America’s “economic enemies.”
This week, the Ukraine benefited from another US weapons package worth almost $2.2 billion increasing the amount of US military aid to $29.3 billion. The highlight of this package was precision-guided missile with a range of 90 miles that Boeing produces. Just like with many of the tanks promised to the Kiev government, these missiles will not be available for months. Supplying the Ukraine with fighter jets is now being discussed, and Lockheed Martin is ramping up production of F-16s to fulfill the potential need.
On Friday, the EU and G7 countries agreed to additional global price caps on petroleum products from Russia with the goal of limiting their ability to finance their special military operation in the Ukraine. On Sunday, the total ban of Russian oil products goes into effect in the EU. Just like other economic sanctions, these actions will squeeze working people harder than the targeted country.