A general, a balloon, and lowering the temperature with China
When a Chinese surveillance balloon floated over the continental US, it became the biggest story in the world. It could have also been a much-needed chance at direct diplomacy between the world most powerful nation and its greatest rival, writes Robert Rust of the Union of Concerned Scientists — a chance the Biden administration wasted. When Joe Biden took office in 2021, many analysts and watchers in both China and the United States expected at least a slight relaxation of the previous administration’s tough line on China. Halfway into Biden’s first term, such a relaxation has not been ...