The Sino-American rivalry needs guardrails to contain small incidents

“THERE NEED not be a new cold war,” Joe Biden told Xi Jinping when the pair met in Bali in November. Thus began a rare few months of detente in Sino-American relations. In January, when they connected in Zurich, the two countries’ senior economic officials spoke of enhanced communication and co-operation. A visit to Beijing by Antony Blinken, America’s secretary of state, planned for February 5th and 6th, was meant to consolidate progress. Then a floated over America.