WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of an Air Force F-22 downing a giant Chinese balloon that had crossed the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Chinese counterpart via a special crisis line, aiming for a quick general-to-general talk that could explain things and ease tensions.

This is funny in an "god damn it" kind of way.

"We spent a week trying to turn a stray weather balloon in to a major international incident and then when we called them they didn't even pick up?!"

I can't imagine how frustrating it must be trying to conduct diplomacy with this kind of childish idiocy.

  • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    And Chinese leaders are suspicious of the whole U.S. notion of a hotline — seeing it as an American channel for trying to talking their way out of repercussions for a U.S. provocation.

    Con artists mad their marks aren't talking to them.

      • MaoistLandlord [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I imagine it’s intended to be an emergency hotline. Like if a Chinese pilot crashes into Wyoming or something. But the US treats it like when you punch your brother and immediately apologize so you don’t get in trouble

        • Awoo [she/her]
          ·
          2 years ago

          Do something in public but have different rhetoric behind closed doors.

          I guess the Chinese might be considering forcing everything into public discussion, no more backrooms would harm the west more than them.

          Think of it this way, if you have no method of telling the Chinese that you don't actually mean all the warmongering you're doing then the Chinese might take it seriously and do something about it. Without the backchannel your public rhetoric needs to be MUCH more careful, it stops you from propagandising in the same way. The backchannel is thusly a method of doing warmongering without repercussions, taking it away only has benefits to the Chinese side who aren't warmongering.