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Balloon furore exposes fragile state of Sino-US ties
Even if Blinken’s Beijing trip goes ahead, fence-mending efforts are likely to be blown off course by new unexpected crises
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The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifting to the ocean after being shot down off the coast of Surfside Beach, South Carolina, on Feb 4, 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Even the gloomiest observers of Sino-US relations did not see a spat over a “spy balloon” looming over the horizon.
President Joe Biden’s decision to shoot down the Chinese balloon this weekend was in retrospect inevitable. Mr Biden faced extraordinary domestic political pressure to act, while the United States needed to protect the principle of territorial integrity. It would also have been near-impossible for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to continue with his planned visit to Beijing this week, with a media storm brewing at home.
