It’s been almost 20 years to the day since Washington and Beijing found themselves ensnared in a dangerous military standoff that some feared would herald the start of a new cold war.

The trigger – which consumed the early days of George W. Bush’s presidency – was a collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a US Navy surveillance plane over the South China Sea. The Chinese pilot died and the stricken US aircraft and its 24-member crew were forced to land on Hainan Island.