Hong Kong | Beijing’s abrupt shift from expressing regret to threatening retaliation over the US spy-balloon claims, reflects the domestic imperative for Xi Jinping to show he’s standing up for China against external pressure, further narrowing the window to reset ties before the US election season gets into full swing.
This weekend was supposed to be a step forward, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken arriving in Beijing for the first such visit in more than four years.
