House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) said the United States is seeing “unbelievable aggression” from communist China directed at Western nations.

Turner’s comments come after a Chinese fighter jet flew directly in front of a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea last weekend, and a Chinese warship came within 150 yards of a U.S. Navy destroyer on Saturday.

“Well, what we’re seeing is an unbelievable aggression by China,” Turner told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday. “If you look at the balloon that flew over the United States, the Chinese police stations, the aggressiveness against our both planes and ships in international water, it goes right to the heart of what President Xi said when he stood next to Putin in Russia, where he said, they’re trying to make change that had not happened in 100 years.”

“Well, that change is the, you know, 100 years ago, World War I and World War II,” he said. “That was about democracy versus authoritarianism. They’re trying to, you know, flex their muscles and advance authoritarianism. We need to stand strong, and certainly this administration needs to stand strong against this type of coercion.”

Host Martha Raddatz asked Turner what standing up to “this type of coercion” looks like.

“I think it means calling them out. I mean, this is unacceptable,” he said. “And when you have, for example, a balloon that transits all across the United States, and the administration doesn’t respond until the game’s over, until it’s over the Atlantic, you start — and when you have police stations that have been operating within the United States, that took forever in order for them to take action, you get this sort of sense of permissiveness, that I think the administration needs to step up and make clear that China has identified itself as an adversary, and we’re going to treat it as such.”

"What we're seeing is an unbelievable aggression by China.”

House Intelligence chair Rep. Mike Turner, tells @MarthaRaddatz that the U.S. needs “to stand strong and certainly this administration needs to stand strong against this type of coercion.” https://t.co/JXtoDr5BMz pic.twitter.com/Xqu21mZt4B

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 4, 2023

Chuck Todd, the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” for the last nine years, announced on the show Sunday that he would step down from that role in the coming months.

Todd said it’s important for people not to “overstay their welcome” and touted his accomplishments of building the show into a “distinct and important political franchise.” 

“It’s been an amazing nearly decade-long run. I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade,” Todd said. “When I took over ‘Meet the Press,’ it was a Sunday show that had a lot of people questioning whether it still could have a place in the modern media space. Well, I think we’ve answered that question and then some.”

Todd said that one of the reasons he is leaving the show is so that his work doesn’t “consume” him “before it’s too late,” adding that he’s seen it happen to those around him. In his remarks, he announced his successor as Kristen Welker, NBC’s chief White House correspondent, who Todd said was a good choice and is “ready” to take over. 

Conservatives have often been critical of Todd’s objectivity, especially during the Trump administration. For example, after “Meet the Press” broadcast an inaccurately edited clip of a Trump official in 2020, President Donald Trump demanded Todd’s termination after the network apologized.

Today we close our show with an announcement from @chucktodd:

"While today is not my final show, this will be my final summer here at Meet the Press. … I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade." pic.twitter.com/sgeUcNR3C5

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 4, 2023

Though stepping down as host and moderator of “Meet the Press,” Todd will remain at NBC as chief political analyst and focus on long-form journalism, according to the network. He said he would officially hand the show over to Welker in September. 

“Through his penetrating interviews with many of the most important newsmakers, the show has played an essential role in politics and policy, routinely made front-page news, and framed the thinking in Washington and beyond,” NBC News’ president of editorial Rebecca Blumenstein and senior vice president of politics Carrie Budoff said in a memo. 

Todd became the show’s host in 2014 after serving as NBC’s chief White House correspondent and host of “The Daily Rundown.” He took over the host position from David Gregory. “Meet the Press” is the longest-running show on television, NBC notes. 

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“I leave feeling concerned about this moment in history,” Todd said, “but reassured by the standards we’ve set here. We didn’t tolerate propagandists, and this network and program never will. … Being a real political journalist isn’t about building a brand. It’s about reporting what’s happening and explaining why it’s happening and letting the public absorb the facts.”

“[Chuck Todd] has been a mentor and friend since my first day at [NBC News],” Welker tweeted Sunday. “I’ve learned so much from sitting with him at the anchor desk and simply experiencing his passion for politics. I’m humbled and grateful to take the baton and continue to build on the legacy of [Meet the Press].”