King and Crown Prince offer condolence to Iranian president over the deadly port explosion    stc reports strong first-quarter 2025 results with 11% rise in net profit    Virgin Atlantic celebrates one month of nonstop service between London and Riyadh    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR2.1 billion net profit after zakat and income tax for 1Q25    Mahmoud Abbas appoints Hussein Al-Sheikh as PLO vice president in key succession move    Saudi Arabia's entertainment sector attracts 76 million visitors in 2024    Third round of US-Iran nuclear talks concludes with cautious optimism    Multiple casualties reported after vehicle drives into crowd at Vancouver street festival    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia offers condolences to Iran following deadly Bandar Abbas port explosion    Saudi Arabia deports 12,866 illegal residents in a week    SFDA clears first 44-ton medical shipment for Hajj pilgrims    Ministry of Hajj issued over 150,000 Nusuk cards for the Hajj of 2025    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



After downing the spy balloon, the ball of fire rolls!
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 10 - 02 - 2023

Countries around the world held their breath while watching with concern the consequences of the Chinese spy balloon downing incident. The balloon, which penetrated into the Canadian and American airspaces, was shot down on Saturday by a missile fired from an F-22 fighter, and its wreckage was scattered in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The incident unlocked the door of speculation wide open with several questions: Will the Cold War end and a ball of flame roll between Washington and Beijing? Will the American and Chinese giants fight each other? Can the United States open a new front in Asia, which is bleeding from the consequences of the Russian-Ukrainian war?
I believe that the question of a cold war is meaningless, as US-Chinese relations continue to remain in a state of the cold war for decades, even after former President Richard Nixon succeeded in breaking the ice between the two countries with his famous visit to Beijing in the early 1970s, and until the last handshake between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
As per the nature of the new system, which is the byproduct of World War II, the US-Chinese relationship remained full of apprehension, suspicion, and mutual fear. And the tension that it witnessed during the era of former US President Donald Trump exacerbated recently. The frequency of disagreement and apprehension increased between the two countries regarding the island of Taiwan. Consequently, China enhanced its military capabilities, as well as its great ambition to dominate space, monopolize Africa, and expand in Asia through the New Silk Road.
It must be noted that the US Secretary of Defense Gen. Lloyd Austin visited the Philippines days before the balloon incident, where he signed an agreement with Manila to increase the number of military bases that the United States has the right to use if a conflict erupts with China over the South China Sea. Days before that, a memo from a senior American general was leaked in which he predicted that the US would be at war with China by the year 2025, on the issue of a possible Chinese invasion of the Taiwan strait, and the annexation of Taiwan to China, which it considers Chinese territory. This was not the first time that the prospect of a potential war has been circulated. A higher-ranking general had previously speculated that a war may occur during the years between 2025 and 2027.
It is to be added to this that China, according to its President Xi Jinping, believes that it will overtake the United States by the year 2035. The obvious question for everyone concerned about a possible confrontation is: Will this war be another test for nuclear power, which has remained in its fortified bunkers since America dropped its nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945? And if this war breaks out, will the world again suffer from the interruption of commercial supply chains in a more egregious way than what happened as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic during the period 2019-2022?
On the other hand, China is very apprehensive about Washington's intentions, especially since the US intensified its diplomatic force to mobilize the largest number of allies in favor of its plans to confront China at the prospect of any future conflict.
There is no doubt that Beijing feels that Washington is about to surround China with a wristband, from every side: the South China Sea, the Taiwan strait, and the waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. For Beijing, this is a dangerous development especially since the United States is trying to isolate Russia because of the Ukraine war.
As happened during the years of the Cold War between Moscow and Washington, it also seems that Beijing and Washington are keen not to roll a fireball between them, in order to prevent any error in strategic assessments or any amount of misunderstanding that could ignite the fire.
But keeping the fireball in its place is alone sufficient to prevent the most populous country and the most powerful country in the world from sliding into a conflict? It is certain that the coming months will bring about a definitive answer to this.


Clic here to read the story from its source.