Heine Discusses Impacts of Spy Balloon Incident on U.S.-China Relations

In an interview with CNN Chile, Jorge Heine, Research Professor at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, discussed the effect of the discovery and subsequent destruction of a Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States will have on relations between the two countries. 

The balloon being shot down on February 4, 2023, had clear ripple effects and increased tensions between the U.S. and China; Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his trip to Beijing and President Joe Biden issued a not-so-subtle warning to China in his State of the Union address. Heine analyzed the context of the incident, its possible origins, and how it should serve as a warning for the future management of U.S.-China relations.

The full program can be viewed (in Spanish) on CNN Chile‘s website.

Ambassador Jorge Heine is a Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He has served as ambassador of Chile to China (2014-2017), to India (2003-2007), and to South Africa (1994-1999), and as a Cabinet Minister in the Chilean Government. Read more about Ambassador Heine on his Pardee School faculty profile.