The U.S.-China struggle for hegemony is at a treacherous pass. Relations have been especially sour since the spy balloon incident and the visit by the Taiwanese president to the U.S. mainland. Much of the superpowers’ contention lies in vying for control over resources, tech, and economic influence on the world stage.

This competition has gotten more dicey over the past few weeks.

Just before Memorial Day, we learned that Chinese officials snubbed a meeting with U.S. military officials. According to the Pentagon: “The [People’s Republic of China] informed the U.S. that they have declined our early May invitation. The Department believes strongly in the importance of maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication between Washington and Beijing to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.” The Biden administration has been continuously asking to meet with Chinese officials in an attempt to mollify relations.

News broke on May 31 that suspected Chinese spies were apprehended trying to infiltrate Alaskan airbases. They were disguised as tourists but were equipped with drones and other surveillance tech. If they are spies, these actions are more aggressive than a spy balloon, yet it wasn’t much talked about.

The threat of conflict with China seems to be ever growing. This despite President Joe Biden’s assurances that relations between the two superpowers would “thaw” after the G7 summit in Japan. Biden believed that a show of united allies at the summit would cool China’s jets. In fact, it is obvious that the opposite has occurred.

This past weekend, there were two close encounters. The first incident involved a Chinese warship and an American destroyer. Canadian and American ships were doing training exercises in international waters in the South China Sea. Witnesses claim that the Chinese warship sped up intentionally to get into the path of the American destroyer. A collision was narrowly avoided.

The second incident, also over the South China Sea, involved a Chinese fighter jet. An American reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace was “buzzed” by a Chinese fighter jet — a harassment technique in which a plane flies directly into the path of another plane. Here’s the video released by the Pentagon:

#BREAKING: Chinese fighter jet buzzed a U.S. Air Force spy plane over South China Sea. pic.twitter.com/RmgC0hympW

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 30, 2023

Clearly, the overtures by the Biden administration for peace are inadequate. Former National Security Council Director Evan Medeiros explains: “Washington wants dialogue and risk reduction, amid further policies of competition and pushback. By contrast, China wants to reduce the constant strategic pressure it faces from the U.S. and its allies while continuing to bend global rules and norms in its favor.”

This weakness on Biden’s part has drawn much criticism. Senator Tom Cotton chided: “Biden administration officials should stop chasing after their Chinese communist counterparts like lovestruck teenagers. It’s embarrassing, and it’s pathetic. In fact, it projects weakness to China, it encourages them to do things like buzz our aircraft, or come within a few hundred yards of our ships, encourages them to send spy balloons floating all across America. Reducing those tariffs would send the same message.”

Political analyst Gary Bauer puts it even more bluntly: “Biden’s actions don’t work on a playground, much less on the world stage. When a bully knocks your hat off your head and you ask to talk it over, his next move is to punch you in the face!”

China is a bully. No amount of apologizing, capitulating, or promises are going to temper its aggression on the world stage. China respects strength, and that is not what the U.S. is displaying under this administration.