Team Biden Should Stop Chasing Xi Jinping Officials Like 'Lovestruck Teenagers,' Says Tom Cotton: 'Embarrassing And Pathetic'

In a jibe at President Joe Biden-led administration’s effort to meet Xi Jinping, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said the U.S. should stop chasing Chinese officials like "lovestruck teenagers."

What Happened: Cotton, in an interview with Fox News, said, "Biden administration officials should stop chasing after their Chinese communist counterparts like lovestruck teenagers. It's embarrassing and it's pathetic."

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The senator was responding to a question about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent visit to Singapore, where he met his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu. Despite China previously refusing a meeting request during the defense and security forum, Austin and Shangfu were seen shaking hands at a dinner on Friday, signaling a surprising turn of events.

The handshake and the meeting request were both parts of a U.S. effort to smooth recently boiling tensions between the two countries over Taiwan, human rights violations, trade and many other areas. However, Cotton argued that those efforts "project weakness to China."

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"It encourages them to do things like buzz our aircraft or come within a few hundred yards of our ships. It encourages them to send spy balloons floating all across America," he said.

Why It Matters: In recent years, tensions between the U.S. and China have increased amid Biden’s support for Taiwan. As per a recent report, President Biden‘s administration is pushing for a series of meetings and phone calls to make it harder for Beijing to refuse engagement. The U.S. strategy aims to ease tensions with China and label President Xi as a recalcitrant if he declines.

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