Chinese surveillance balloon as a factor in U.S.-China relations

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Abstract

The article is devoted to the incident of a stratospheric balloon belonging to China flying over the territory of the United States. The article examines technical aspects related to the balloon and its downing, as well as the impact the incident had on U.S.-Chinese relations. In addition, the author analyzes the domestic reaction to the incident in American politics. The author concludes that given the U.S.-China rivalry and the decline in military-to-military contacts, such incidents can be dangerous. Neither the U.S. nor China has made sufficient efforts to resolve the crisis, preferring to observe the situation and take political advantage of it. Excessive reaction of the political class in the US, while the circumstances of the incident have not been properly investigated yet, speaks of the prevailing bias against China in the legislative and executive branches.

About the authors

Alexey S. Stepanov

Georgy Arbatov Institute for U.S. and Canada Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: astepano89@gmail.com
Moscow, Russian Federation

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