Corporate DispatchPro TONIO GALEA
US-Sino relations take a break Relations between the United States and Chine are at their lowest point in decades, arguably at their most fragile since Nixon’s attempts to bridge the rift in the 1970s. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, optimistic analysts hoped that the global crisis could spur some sort of rapprochement between the two biggest economies in the world, but the early gestures of goodwill between Beijing and Washington soon gave way to a flurry accusations flying in both directions. The exchange of rhetoric was reminiscent of the Cold War and quickly culminated into the recent closure of consulates in both countries. The US fired the first shot with the shutting down of China’s consulate in Houston over fears of espionage. It only took Beijing three days to respond, ordering the closure of the US consulate in Chengdu. Although it is not unprecedented that the US moved to close a foreign mission, it is a rare step and usually finds a difficult path back. The closure of diplomatic missions is the most significant development yet in the deterioration of relations in the past weeks, inflating quickly from smaller punitive actions such as visa restrictions and new rules on diplomatic travel, as well as the expulsion of foreign correspondents. In recent months, Washington and the US have openly traded blows, taking the fight to disagreements ranging from the origin of the coronavirus and Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Summit to Huawei’s 5G infrastructure and the company behind the popular TikTok app. China’s recent introduction of a national security law in Hong Kong combined with accusations of repression of the Uighur Muslim ethnic minority, triggered several rounds of new US sanctions. 15
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