Editorial | Tensions over Chinese balloon demand wise heads and communication
- China and the United States must not allow the fallout from such provocative incidents to blow dangerously out of proportion and, as in the past, calm diplomacy is key
The more relations between China and the United States deteriorate, the more the world depends on the two powers not to allow the fallout from provocative incidents to blow dangerously out of proportion.
A case in point has just played itself out in the North American skies, with the United States deploying an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a Chinese balloon suspected of surveillance activity.
World reaction includes deep concern that an escalation of bilateral tensions is unavoidable. But it also recalls incidents more than 20 years ago that were even more serious in the sense they cost human life.
Thanks to calm diplomacy, they did no lasting damage to the world’s most important relationship. Wiser heads prevailed. They are needed again to absorb the shock waves of the latest incident.
02:43
‘A clear overreaction’: Beijing rebukes Washington for shooting down Chinese balloon
Thankfully they have made themselves heard at the highest level. The headline casualty – a visit to Beijing as scheduled by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken – looks certain to be revived before too long.
The US waited nearly a week after the balloon first entered its air space to send a jet to take it down with a missile over coastal waters to avoid the risk of debris to civilians.