Although we still do not know what sent jousting Chinese and American planes as well as Sino�US relations into a nose dive, this has not hindered people on both sides from unleashing an avalanche of accusations and uncompromising demands for apologies. While an answer to the question as to what actually happened remains elusive, a more important question begs our attention: why do such incidents balloon into crises that keep US�China ties almost permanently out of kilter?
Although we still do not know what sent jousting Chinese and American planes as well as Sino�US relations into a nose dive, this has not hindered people on both sides from unleashing an avalanche of accusations and uncompromising demands for apologies. While an answer to the question as to what actually happened remains elusive, a more important question begs our attention: why do such incidents balloon into crises that keep US�China ties almost permanently out of kilter?