China’s balloon blunder may play right into Joe Biden’s hands

Editorial: The US secretary of state has postponed his visit to Beijing, but should reschedule it as quickly as possible

The US has accused China of an ‘unacceptable’ violation of its sovereign airspace (AP)

The first chapter of the Chinese spy balloon saga has come to an end with the rogue airship being shot down by US forces over the sea off the US Atlantic coast. The Chinese government insisted that the balloon was a civilian meteorological probe blown astray by the wind, while the US government says it believes it was intended for surveillance.

The situation is embarrassing without being humiliating for both sides. Beijing has had to admit that it was a Chinese balloon, and is trying to de-escalate the war of words about it. That another balloon seems to be on the loose over an unspecified country in South America seems to lend credibility to the Chinese account that these are airships “with limited self-steering capability”.

Washington looks as if it has been spooked by the equivalent of a children’s toy – it seems unlikely that a balloon could do any spying that couldn’t be done from a low-altitude satellite – while the US president, Joe Biden, has been criticised once again by his Republican opponents for being “soft on China”.

This charge explains why Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, has postponed his trip to China, which was going to start this weekend. Despite some scratchy language, the postponement may serve as a mild admonishment, and it may be that honour is served on both sides.

The US has accused China of an “unacceptable” violation of its sovereign airspace, while China has responded by accusing some US politicians and media of having “hyped” up the incident to “attack and smear China”.

However, it may well be that the incident will be helpful to Mr Biden. By postponing the trip, the US administration looks as if it is standing up to Beijing. Meanwhile, by expressing “regret” for the incident in a conciliatory statement, it may be that the Chinese have ensured that, when Mr Blinken does visit, there is a better chance of constructive dialogue.

It remains very much in the interest of the US, China and the world that representatives of the two governments should meet and exchange views. Mr Blinken’s visit was going to be an important opportunity for the US and China to rebalance a relationship that is still adjusting to the more forceful foreign policy of China’s president, Xi Jinping.

The agenda for Mr Blinken’s aborted visit was to include such matters as Taiwan and the associated Chinese aggression in the South China Sea; Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine; international trade; and human rights in Tibet and Xinjiang. These are all subjects on which open and direct dialogue is preferable to the megaphone diplomacy of shouting at each other from a distance.

Assuming that the wayward balloons were a harmless mistake – which is what the Chinese response suggests – let us hope that Mr Blinken reschedules his trip as quickly as possible.