(NewsNation) — Florida governor and GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis criticized current President Joe Biden’s actions when it comes to U.S.-China relations at a time when tensions are rising between the two countries.

“In terms of China — I mean, just think about how humiliating this is for the country,” DeSantis said at a news conference, where he announced a lawsuit against the Biden Administration. “They flew a spy balloon clear across the continental United States with basically no pushback. Our people knew this balloon was coming.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. military shot down a suspected Chinese spy apparatus while it was over the Atlantic Ocean, days after the Pentagon revealed it had been tracking the balloon as it flew across the country.

President Joe Biden has previously defended his foreign policy stance toward China, saying his decision to shoot down the surveillance balloon is evidence that his administration is willing to protect the country.

“Yeah, they finally shot it after had already gotten all the data that it needed,” DeSantis said.

Another issue DeSantis touched on at the news conference was a Wall Street Journal story alleging Cuba and China agreed to install an eavesdropping facility on the island. DeSantis said these facilities are a “slap in the face” to the country.

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío Domínguez has flatly denied the agreement, calling the newspaper’s information “totally mendacious and unfounded,” and the allegations “fallacies.”

However, DeSantis still used the news to criticize Biden, saying that Chinese officials “realize he’s weak.”

“They’re taking advantage of the weakness,” he said. “I think what the (Chinese Communist Party) understands is the language of strength… If a leader is saying what they mean, and meaning what they say and is willing to back it up, they’re not going to mess with that.”

Added DeSantis: “I think (Biden’s) whole approach to China has been flawed.”

DeSantis said America needs to be “economically sovereign.” Right now, he said, the U.S. is too dependent on buying items and materials from China.

“It’s one thing to say you deal with other countries. And of course, we will have to do that,” DeSantis acknowledged. “But to have so much critical issues in our country depend on China is not healthy.”

Something else the United States needs to do is “project power,” and work with Japan, Korea, India, Australia and other allies to check “Chinese expansionism,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis’ comments come after Biden made remarks calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a “dictator” and China a country with “real economic difficulties” after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing on Monday.

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden’s comments were “extremely absurd and irresponsible.”

Biden administration officials Wednesday defended what Biden said. The president has made a point of drawing distinctions between the world’s democracies and autocracies, officials said. On Thursday, Biden said his calling Xi a dictator did not undermine progress in the U.S. and China’s relationship, adding that his blunt statements regarding China are “just not something I’m going to change very much.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.