WATCH: Activist interrupts Josh Hawley during speech, shouts 'China is not our enemy, the climate crisis is'

On Thursday, a climate activist from far-left group CodePink barged onto the stage at the Heritage Foundation to interrupt Missouri Senator Josh Hawley's speech on China and foreign policy, shouting "China is not our enemy, the climate crisis is."

The woman, identified as Olivia DiNucci on CodePink's website, said, "We have the largest military in the world. We've spent over $1 trillion every year. And the state, your state of Missouri is—over half of people are in poverty. China is not our enemy, the climate crisis is," which prompted laughter from everyone in attendance.

"and the whole room laughed at her ridiculousness," tweeted Hawley's press secretary Abigail Marone.

"We need to get serious about the climate crisis," DiNucci shouted as security started pulling her from the stage. She shouted about diplomacy in Ukraine and China and said "We are continuing to have more aggression with China, and we are spending more on our military than 100 countries combined. The climate crisis is our common threat."

"Someone tell her how China is one of the largest polluters in the world," tweeted one user.

After she was removed, Hawley said, "It's interesting. The Biden administration wants to use the climate crisis as a justification for its agenda in Ukraine and elsewhere. Maybe they ought to visit with that young woman."

On the CodePink website, DiNucci said, "We need diplomacy and peace in Ukraine AND in China too! We need cooperation and to work w/ China to address our common enemy--the biggest threat to humanity and the planet–the climate crisis." 

"We need money for the poor, not for war. We need reparations for countries we’ve helped devastate. We need diplomacy and peace now!" She added.

In October, in an interview with professor and psychologist Jordan Peterson, Hawley said the Democrat base are "folks who make above working class wages, upper class and really upper middle class" Americans and upper class, college educated elites are the ones who "buy into all the leftist stuff." 

Tensions have increased between the US and China and a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed the continental United States before being downed on February 4. Last summer, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Biden that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shouldn't visit Taiwan and said "those who play with fire will only get burnt." China launched a series of missiles over the Taiwan strait soon after and began war games that have continued into 2023.

Climate activists, such as John Kerry, claim the US needs to work with China on controlling emissions and on other concerns, and must therefore not antagonize the communist power.