The moment has come for those huffing and puffing politicians in Washington - the ones who are so shocked, shocked to learn there is spying going on out there - to take a deep breath and calm down.
And it's probably also time for their indignant counterparts in Beijing to pause for a moment as well. They should reflect a little more carefully about just what kind of image they want China to send the world, and about what type of diplomatic actor they intend their nation to be.
These admonitions arise from the current uproar over alleged Chinese theft of United States missile warhead secrets from the nuclear weapons laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico. They also stem from the mainland's insistence that it will do whatever is necessary to add the most advanced weapons possible to its nuclear arsenal, complete with the right to lob a few rockets across Taiwan whenever the mood strikes.
Neither side is doing itself great credit, nor advancing its own national interests in clear or obvious ways.
The uproar comes as the Clinton administration's China policy of maximum engagement loses favour in Washington for several reasons. Due to such things as perceived Chinese human rights abuses, persecution in Tibet and trade obstacles, American politicians find decreasing value in trying to strengthen ties between the US and China. Where once they clamoured to visit Beijing, they now lambast it from afar - and hope the voters are watching with approval.
In addition, some leading Republicans find China policy a convenient club for beating President Bill Clinton as election season draws near. Even as thoughtful a would-be president as Senator John McCain insinuates that there may be a connection between purported Chinese donations to the 1996 Clinton campaign and Beijing's alleged espionage gains - a linkage for which there is no known proof.