The lessons from the Chinese spy balloon
Sino-American mistrust is morphing into a new cold war
CHINA AND America are drifting towards a cold war. Distrust is turning into something far more disruptive: a contest between two irreconcilable powers, each sure that the other is bent on thwarting its rival’s core ambitions and interests. The shooting down of a Chinese balloon off South Carolina is a test of whether the two countries have the wisdom and the will to stop confrontations from spiralling out of control. The results so far are mixed.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Why China’s balloon is not funny”
From the February 11th 2023 edition
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