White House must stabilise ties with Beijing, navigate anti-China hysteria

Analysts warn meltdown in Washington risks becoming self-fulfilling prophecy

- Nirmal Ghosh

WASHINGTON - Under almost 24/7 coverage that veered towards parody last week, the United States was transfixed by news about a Chinese "spy" balloon drifting over and across the country until - as seen on live television - it was brought down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday by a short-range Sidewinder missile fired from a top-of-the-line F-22 fighter jet.

Spectacle aside, the event raised many questions not just about US-China relations, but also about America's own internal dynamics, leading to the thorniest question of all: Can the two nations avoid drifting towards war? The Pentagon said the balloon posed "no risk to commercial aviation, military assets or people on the ground".

But it was hyped as dangerous anyway not by the Biden administration but by Congress, with the message amplified by cable news.

"It is a threat right here at home. It is a threat to American sovereignty, and it is a threat to the Midwest - in places like those that I live in," said Wisconsin Republican congressman Mike Gallagher, chairman of the newly formed House China Select Committee.

Several other lawmakers chimed in. On Sunday - a day after the balloon was shot down - Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on CNN's State Of The Union: "They (the Chinese) calculated this carefully with a message embedded in it. And I think that's the part we can't forget here. It's not just the balloon. It's the message to try to send the world that... we can do whatever we want, and America can't stop us."