Sunday shows preview: US-China relations remain on shaky ground, 2024 election looms

Tense relations between the U.S. and China and the looming 2024 presidential race are likely to dominate the Sunday talk shows circuit this weekend.

U.S.-China relations have faced repeated complications in recent weeks, from the Chinese spy balloon debacle to Beijing’s potential involvement in the war in Ukraine to renewed interest in the COVID-19 lab leak theory. 

A Chinese surveillance balloon spent a week traversing the U.S. in early February, before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina. The initial balloon, as well as a trio of high-flying objects that the military shot down in its wake, caused an uproar among lawmakers in Washington. 

Beijing accused the U.S. of overreacting to the incident, which it claimed was simply a weather balloon blown off course. However, the U.S. military has maintained that the balloon was surveilling strategic sites in the U.S.

The balloon drama was quickly followed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top U.S. officials’ warnings in mid-February that China was “strongly considering” providing Russia with lethal aid for its war in Ukraine.

China hit back at the allegations, urging the U.S. to “seriously reflect on the role it has played” in the Russia-Ukraine war and “do something to actually help deescalate the situation and promote peace talks.”

Beijing has sought to portray itself as a neutral arbiter in the war, even releasing a 12-point peace plan and calling for a cease-fire and peace talks alongside Belarus last week. 

However, the U.S. has accused China of providing Russia with non-lethal aid, and Beijing’s relationship with Belarus — one of the few countries to stand by Moscow amid its invasion of Ukraine — has been eyed with suspicion.

Renewed interest in the COVID-19 lab leak theory has also inflamed tensions with China. After reports emerged on Sunday that the Department of Energy had found with “low confidence” that COVID-19 may have been caused by a lab leak, the Biden administration is facing increased pressure to confront China on the issue.

FBI Director Christopher Wray also said on Tuesday that the agency had assessed that the origin of the pandemic was “most likely a potential lab incident.” However, the White House has warned that there is not yet widespread government consensus on the issue.

In response to the allegations, Chinese officials claimed that the country has been “open and transparent” on origins tracing efforts and accused the U.S. of “politicizing the issue.”

“By politicizing the issue, the U.S. will not succeed in discrediting China. Instead, it will only hurt the U.S.’s own credibility,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), who serves as chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, will chat about the unresolved questions on COVID-19’s origins with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. Wenstrup’s subcommittee is set to hold its first hearing on the pandemic’s origins on Wednesday.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will also join ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday to discuss rising tensions with China and Russia, while Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will join “Fox News Sunday” to discuss the “current state of foreign relations.”

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” also appears to have a particular focus on U.S.-China relations this weekend, with a group of Republican lawmakers and leading GOP figures lined up to react to President Biden’s stance on China.

The looming 2024 presidential election is also likely to a major talking topic of discussion on the Sunday shows.

Marianne Williamson, who officially launched her 2024 campaign on Saturday, will join ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday to discuss her long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination.

Several potential Republican contenders will also make the rounds — including Pompeo, Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.), former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.) — as the GOP race heats up.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska); Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.); Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.); Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.); Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio); former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.)

CNN’s “State of the Union” — New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D); Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.); former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.)

“Fox News Sunday” — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio); Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas); Stephen Miller, former White House Senior Advisor and president of America First Legal; Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican presidential candidate