China is hitting back after multiple unidentified flying objects, all suspected to have originated in the communist nation (or to be aliens), were shot down by the US military. Things began with the downing of a spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina that was first allowed to cross the entire continental United States. Since then, at least three other foreign objects have been blown out of the sky, with the latest being over Lake Huron.

The Chicoms took ownership of the original spy balloon, farcically complaining that the US had escalated matters in an unacceptable way by destroying it. Things have been more opaque in the aftermath, though. China itself claimed to have intercepted and downed a UFO on Sunday over Rizhao on Sunday.

Now, the communists are pouring fuel on the fire, accusing the United States of making at least 10 different incursions into Chinese airspace with spy balloons since 2022.

BREAKING: US balloons illegally flew over China more than 10 times since the beginning of 2022, a Foreign Ministry official in Beijing claims, calling on the US to "reflect on itself" https://t.co/FpnvTO6z9m pic.twitter.com/mpvUEW1Xf2

— Bloomberg (@business) February 13, 2023

There are several reasons to completely dismiss this allegation, not the least of which is the idea that the United States under Joe Biden would dare commit such a provocation given the current administration’s history of subservience to China. If there’s one thing Biden isn’t, it’s bold, and given the probability of detection, there’s little reason to believe he’d green-light such an operation. I’m also not sure the US operates spy balloons currently, though they have spent money toward their development.

The biggest tell here that this is nonsense, though, is the timing. The Chinese communists are, for lack of a better description, loudmouths. They never let a slight, perceived or otherwise, go unchallenged publicly, either officially or via their legion of propagandists on social media. The claim that 10 different US spy balloons busted Chinese airspace and that 1) they didn’t shoot them down and 2) that they didn’t think to mention it until now belabors belief. Had that actually happened, the Chicoms would have almost certainly shouted it from the rooftops the moment the very first balloon was detected.

Unfortunately, the President of the United States is completely absent from the situation and that is doing nothing to provide comfort for Americans worried about what feels a lot like a new cold war. This is a time for decisive and visible leadership, and it’s nowhere to be found in the Biden administration. In fact, that’s probably a major reason for China’s provocations. In their mind, what do they have to lose but some hunks of metal?