In 2023, China-U.S. relations first nosedived over the “spy balloon” incident and then appeared to improve. The resumption of military dialogue and cooperation on narcotics control bide well. Will 2024 bring further improvement? One hopes so. However, there is a peculiar U.S. political dynamic that is bound to make things difficult simply by preventing U.S. lawmakers and leaders from accessing the best available information with which to make their judgement. This dynamic is deeply rooted in the history of U.S. foreign relations.
