+34
China condemned the attack as an over-reaction, saying it reserved the right to deal with 'similar situations.' Any move will likely be finely calibrated to keep from worsening ties that the countries have been trying to repair, analysts said.
The discovery of the balloon in the upper atmosphere above North America prompted the United States to postpone a visit to Beijing this week by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. That trip had resulted from a November summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
Both sides are widely seen as keen to stabilise relations after a turbulent few years, with the Biden administration leery of tensions descending into conflict and Xi eyeing a recovery for the world's second-largest economy after a severe COVID-19 slump. The path of rebuilding U.S.-China relations likely remains on track, said Zhao Tong, a senior fellow at the China office of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a visiting researcher at Princeton University. "The two sides still have a shared strong interest in stabilising and responsibly managing the bilateral relationship," Zhao told Reuters.Collin Koh, a security fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, predicted China would continue to respond vigorously to U.S. military reconnaissance patrols but stop short of confrontation. Even in calmer moments, Chinese forces actively shadow U.S. military patrols, particularly at sea, amid tensions over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea, say regional military attaches. "Against manned platforms we might expect China to exercise restraint, but against unmanned ones it becomes more uncertain - especially if Beijing believes that it's possible to contain fallout since it involves no crew," Koh said. He noted China's seizure of a U.S. underwater glider deployed by an oceanographic research ship off the Philippines in December 2016. The Chinese navy later returned it to a U.S. warship. Christopher Twomey, a security scholar at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in California, said any Chinese response would be limited. "I'd expect they'd protest moderately but hope to sweep this under the rug and reinstate progress on senior-level visits within months," Twomey said, speaking in a private capacity. Zhu Feng, executive dean of the School of International Studies at Nanjing University, said U.S. officials should stop "hyping" events to ensure a smooth return to the normalised communications they earlier requested from Beijing. Zhu expressed hope "the two governments can turn the page as soon as possible so that Sino-U.S. relations can return to an institutionalised channel of communication and dialogue". Some analysts are watching Chinese state media and online activity for hints at any clamour for a tougher response, as China's mainstream state media have stuck to reporting official statements. On China's heavily censored social media, there was little evidence that nationalistic anger was being stirred up over the incident, with many netizens asking what the fuss was over one balloon.Reporting By Ryan Woo in Beijing and Greg Torode in Hong Kong; Editing by William Mallard
Scratch the next story
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Analysis: 49ers’ lauded lines need help after being pushed around in NFC title game — againThe 49ers are as physical as anyone during the regular season, but can they carry it through the postseason in 2023?
Read more »
Analysis | U.S. nuclear sites face hacking and espionage threatsAnalysis: Hackers target U.S. nuclear facilities, the latest in a long line of nuclear-related cyberattacks
Read more »
Analysis: From Meta to Microsoft, AI's big moment is hereBig Tech companies have a new obsession: artificial intelligence.
Read more »
Silver Price Analysis: XAG/USD tumbles to eight-week lows, worst week since OctoberMetals extended the sell-off after the US official employment report. Silver hits fresh monthly lows near $22.50 and is having the worst day in months
Read more »
Isotope Analysis of Primitive Meteorites Reveals Solar System Formed From “Poorly Mixed Cake Batter”New work reveals Earth’s potassium arrived by meteoritic delivery service. Earth’s potassium arrived by meteoritic delivery service finds new research led by Carnegie’s Nicole Nie and Da Wang. Their work, published on January 26 in the journal Science, shows that some primitive meteorites contai
Read more »
China’s Accidental Dissidents - The Journal. - WSJ PodcastsCao Zhixin and her friends went to a rally to honor people who died in a fire. Several weeks later, they were detained by Chinese authorities and now face years in prison. WSJ's Shen Lu explains why Beijing is cracking down on a new kind of protester. Further Reading: - In China, Young Women Become Accidental Symbols of Defiance - Under Xi Jinping, Women in China Have Given Up Gains - The Exposure of China’s ‘Bought Wives’ Further Listening: - China’s Biggest Protests in Decades - What the End of Zero-Covid Means for China
Read more »