Context:

The shooting down of a Chinese surveillance balloon by the US military has highlighted the deep distrust between the world’s two largest powers. 

Impact of Controversy:

• Cancellation of Visit: 
  • The controversy over the balloon caused a diplomatic crisis and led to the cancellation of the highly anticipated visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. 
  • The response of the Biden administration to cancel  the Blinken visit, reflects the status of China as a hot-button issue in US politics.

China’s Stand:

• Beijing has maintained that the balloon was “civilian” (meteorology), but had drifted off-course. It also slammed the move to shoot it down as an overreaction. 

Previous Incidents in involving China’s Surveillance:

• U.S. officials have acknowledged this was by no means the first such surveillance balloon spotted over American skies; there was a similar incident under the Trump administration. 
• Balloons were also spotted over Japan in 2020 and 2021, and over India’s Andaman Islands last year. 

Dialing Down Tensions:

• In 2001, the U.S. and China were able to dial down tensions after a collision between a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet over Hainan island in China. 
• Managing US-China relations has become more difficult, and finding a solution in the event of a future crisis will be more challenging given the charged political climate and growing rivalry.

News Source: The Hindu