Expecting a few strokes of color to change somber picture of Sino-US ties unrealistic

Many people have taken the news on Friday that the United States and China have agreed to set up economic and financial working teams as a sign the two countries have moved past the incident of the "spy balloon" — which the US side has since admitted was not spying at all — to focus on repairing bilateral ties. Yet, just one day later, it was reported that the Joe Biden administration is mulling a huge arms sale to Vietnam.

The deal, which includes F-16 fighter jets as well as other advanced weapons, is supposedly to help Hanoi markedly enhance its ability to defend Vietnam's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" in the South China Sea, according to the Biden administration.

The move is a threat to regional peace and stability, and unmistakably intended to be a provocation to China. The arms deal clearly indicates the Biden administration does not want the maritime dispute between China and Vietnam to be settled through peaceful negotiations and dialogue, something the two neighbors have been engaged in for a long time.