Whistle-blower's flight from Hong Kong 'may strain Sino-US ties'
Analysts suggest fallout on relations will be minimal despite Washington's obvious anger
The dramatic flight of US intelligence whistle-blower Edward Snowden from Hong Kong may put the Sino-US relationship under strain in the near term, but is unlikely to affect bilateral ties in the long run, analysts say.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said yesterday that Hong Kong's decision to allow Snowden to depart was "a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the US-China relationship".
Yesterday's overseas edition of the official said Beijing could not accept "this kind of dissatisfaction and opposition" from the United States.
However, experts believe the war of words will quickly pass, and that neither country will want to see ties deteriorate, especially in view of the goodwill built up at the summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama earlier this month.
"Americans were just talking tough; I don't think they would make any substantial move to make the Sino-US ties suffer," said Zhuang Jianzhong, deputy director of the Centre for National Strategy Studies at Shanghai Jiaotong University.
"Washington might have high expectations on Beijing over Snowden after the Xi-Obama summit, but the way the saga turned out disappointed them."
Jin Canrong, associate dean of Renmin University's school of international relations, said it was not surprising that Washington would issue such a stern warning, but the impact on Sino-US ties would be limited.
