Most likely voters believe the U.S. should put a freeze on construction of China-owned property located near U.S. military installations in the wake of the spy balloon making its way across the country, a Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group survey released this week found.
The survey asked, “In light of the Chinese spy balloon, do you think the United States should put a freeze on any construction on or deliveries to/from Chinese owned property near U.S. military installations?”
Most, 76.3 percent, said yes, there should be a freeze on both, compared to 23.7 percent who said no.
China’s President Xi Jinping inspects People’s Liberation Army soldiers at a barracks in Hong Kong on June 30, 2017. (DALE DE LA REY/AFP via Getty Images)
There appears to be bipartisan support of a freeze on construction of or deliveries to China-owned property near military installations, as 89 percent of Republicans, 64 percent of Democrats, and 75 percent of independents are in support of a freeze.
The survey was taken February 22-23, 2023, among 1,084 likely general election voters and has a +/- 2.9 percent margin of error.
Pentagon spokesman U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Tuesday, October 25, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
It comes nearly a month after the U.S. began to monitor what Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder described as a “high-altitude surveillance balloon.” The balloon, which flew over the continental United States, was equipped with electronic surveillance technology, which could monitor communication signals, according to a senior State Department official. That reality contrasts with China’s original claim — that the balloon was nothing more than a civilian airship which was knocked off course, researching weather. This was not true, as the State Department official said the balloon was dressed with “multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications.”
In this image released by the Department of Defense on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, a U.S. Air Force U-2 pilot looks down at a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovers over the United States on February 3, 2023. (Department of Defense via AP)
The U.S. military eventually shot down the balloon, albeit after it already traveled across the country, exiting off the Carolina coast. Most voters believe the Biden administration acted too slow in taking down the balloon, per a recent Harvard Caps/Harris survey.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is among Republican lawmakers calling for action against China, recently blasting Democrats for voting against measures to stop the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from purchasing U.S. farmland in close proximity to U.S. military installations:
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