The US and China want to pop their balloon issue

Ten days after a U.S. F-22 fighter aircraft downed a People’s Liberation Army surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast, U.S. and Chinese officials are struggling to find an exit ramp.

They appear to have settled on a two-track strategy. The first aims to get past the Balloongate controversy. Both countries appear to want to restore (at least partially, anyway) business-like relations. The second part of the strategy is a public relations campaign to win the narrative. Both countries are playing the victim and pointing the finger at the other for aggressive, undiplomatic behavior.