Bold espionage or the research blunder of the century? The trips around the Chinese balloon resulted in a canceled state visit and a punctured relationship between Washington and Beijing. Initially, China reacted with something as unusual as a regretful, almost apologetic, statement. Then it said bang – and the balloon shot down caused China to change its footing and go to the roof. Hanna Sahlberg and Bjรถrn Djurberg guide us through the balloon intermezzo and what the event may mean in the longer term.
Great power struggle and rearmament in the Pacific
In the Solomon Islands, meanwhile, what can be described as a concentration of the increasing rivalry between the two superpowers is taking place. Ten months after the China-Solomon Islands security pact, Chinese influence is evident in the small island nation. This week, a China-critical politician was ousted and journalists in the Solomon Islands testify to pressure. The United States has responded by re-establishing an embassy after thirty years, and in the port of the capital Honiara, Chinese ships refuse to anchor side by side with the Australian coast guard. The US has recently established several new military footholds in the region, further underscoring the geopolitical tug of war in the Pacific.
Contributor: Peder Gustafsson, Asia correspondent. Bjรถrn Djurberg, China correspondent. Hanna Sahlberg, China commentator.
Program manager: Axel Kronholm
Producer: Therese Rosenvinge
Technician: Maria Stockhaus
Source: ICELAND NEWS