2023 looked to herald a thawing of US-China relations. China’s reopening paved the way for resumed face-to-face diplomacy to build upon the Biden and Xi meeting last November. 

However, balloon-gate has proved a setback for this potential detente. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met his counterpart Wang Yi in Munich over the weekend. Both were vehement in defending their respective countries’ actions. Blinken said the US “would not stand for any violation of our sovereignty” while Wang called the episode “a political farce manufactured by the US”. 

China denies that its errant balloon was occupying US airspace in any espionage capacity. The US engaged in a reckless act of aggression by shooting it down, the country claims. The hawkish Chinese commentator Victor Gao provocatively asked how the US would react should China take similar action against the American ships that sail through the Taiwan Strait.

As tensions resurface, Chartwell recommends the below military and security service experts to explain the ongoing cyber-security war between China and the West, and the wider geopolitical implications.

General Frank McKenzie 
Former Commander of the United States Central Command

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General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith
Former Head of the British Army

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Sir Alex Younger
Former Chief of M16, the UK’s secret intelligence service

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