A balloon upended Blinken’s trip to China. That could be a good thing.

“This arena decidedly strengthens nan hands of nan United States,” said Heather McMahon, a erstwhile elder head astatine nan President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. “Anytime an espionage cognition is exposed, [it] gives nan advantage to nan targeted nation.”

Blinken was preparing to spot apical officials successful China connected Sunday and Monday successful a follow-up to President Joe Biden’s gathering pinch Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping successful Bali successful November. At nan time, Biden pledged to “maintain unfastened lines of communication” pinch Beijing amid worsening bilateral tensions.

The Pentagon’s announcement Thursday of an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon hovering complete Montana changed that plan. In canceling Blinken’s trip, astatine slightest for now, nan State Department said nan incident “would person narrowed nan schedule successful a measurement that would person been unhelpful and unconstructive.”

Beijing admitted Friday that nan balloon was Chinese, reversing its first claims of ignorance, and said it was a civilian airship utilized chiefly for meteorological purposes that had been blown into U.S. airspace by precocious winds.

That admittance and nan Chinese Foreign Ministry’s uncommon look of “regrets” for nan incident successful a connection published connected Friday suggests Beijing is successful harm power mode astatine a clip erstwhile it’s trying to stabilize ties pinch nan U.S.

The revelation “has pushed China a small spot connected nan backmost foot,” said Zack Cooper, erstwhile adjunct to nan lawman nationalist information advisor for combating coercion astatine nan National Security Council and now a elder chap astatine nan American Enterprise Institute.

And that could springiness Blinken an separator successful his efforts to prod Beijing to present meaningful results erstwhile he yet travels to China.

John Kamm, who has decades of acquisition negotiating pinch Chinese officials successful his domiciled arsenic laminitis of nan Dui Hua captive defense organization, said “it puts unit connected China to do thing arsenic a goodwill motion successful consequence to what they’ve done.”

Much of Blinken’s planned 2 days pinch Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang — and a possible gathering pinch Xi — would person been mislaid to ritual recitations of respective U.S.-China positions connected issues ranging from Taiwan and trade tensions to concerns astir Beijing’s human authorities record, its growing atomic arsenal and its alignment pinch Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine.

In an question and reply earlier nan balloon was reported, David R. Stilwell, erstwhile adjunct caput of State for nan Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said nan gathering was improbable to nutrient activity connected immoderate of those issues. “Beijing uses ‘talks’ to trim unit — while giving thing of value — and to humiliate nan different side,” Stillwell said.

Still, immoderate opportunity Blinken could person seized nan opportunity to make heavier demands successful person.

“If Tony went now, Xi and nan Chinese would beryllium profoundly embarrassed, grateful that he came, wanting to put it down him,” said Danny Russel, a erstwhile elder Asia manus successful nan Obama administration. The balloon incident could person go “a teachable moment,” he said.

Delaying nan travel risks nan Chinese becoming much protect complete time, and little inclined to travel to a gathering of nan minds, said Russel, who nevertheless stressed that he understood nan Biden administration’s calculations.

The Chinese authorities had precocious shifted to a softer negotiated tone — an effort by Beijing to trim U.S.-China tensions while it grapples pinch a disastrous Covid outbreak and an economical downturn.

Blinken’s indefinite postponement of his Beijing travel until “the conditions are right” has won him measured praise from GOP lawmakers.

Delaying nan travel is “a correct telephone for now,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) chair of nan House Select Committee connected nan Strategic Competition betwixt nan U.S. and nan Chinese Communist Party, said successful a video he tweeted connected Friday.

The travel postponement “is an due measurement to underscore nan seriousness” of nan balloon’s intrusion, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) said successful a statement.

Blinken tin now spot if Beijing’s eagerness for moreover symbolic gestures of reduced bilateral rancor produces Chinese negotiated sweeteners for a accelerated rescheduling of Blinken’s China recreation plans.

But clip whitethorn not beryllium connected Blinken’s broadside fixed nan crowded Chinese governmental calendar.

“The Chinese person their nationalist legislative convention successful early March, and House Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy is projected to visit Taiwan astir Easter, truthful nan travel whitethorn not hap until nan precocious spring, wherever nan bilateral ambiance arguably will beryllium moreover much challenging,” said Chris Johnson, president and main executive of nan China Strategies Group, a consequence consultancy.

Regardless of nan spy balloon’s short-term negotiated fallout and nan imaginable short-term advantage Blinken could reap from it, nan longer-term prospects for U.S.-China relations stay grim.

“Beijing is hoping talks supply a timeout from bilateral clash that allows it to attraction connected home issues; nan U.S. wants China to work together to guardrails that let relations to stay abrasive without getting excessively hot,” said Robert Daly, head of nan Kissinger Institute connected China and nan United States astatine nan Wilson Center. “Those goals are astir apt irreconcilable.”