Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The New Concession Territories

China is exercising its power to influence other countries internal policies:

With the recent rise of Chinese economic power, Beijing appears to have widened its definition of what constitutes its internal affairs. Indeed, its definition of Chinese internal affairs increasingly seems to overlap with other countries' definitions of their internal affairs.


This sounds familiar.

So how far will China push? And how far will other nations succumb the reborn (in Peking's mind) middle kingdom?

UPDATE SHORTLY AFTER POSTING: I should have guessed. We demonstrate the proper bow:

In April, China warned President Obama not to meet with Nobel laureate the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political leader of Tibet. ...

Obama confidant Valerie Jarret met with the Dalai Lama in India this week to break the news he was not welcome in Obama's White House.

China even complained about that meeting.

Lovely decade we're having. The year just keeps getting better.