links for 2007-01-26

Officials from China and Japan are meeting in Beijing today for three days of “strategic dialogue” to try to smooth their sometimes contentious relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said.

China and Japan do have common ground on the issue, with both agreeing to the general direction of joint development of the sea and the proper resolution of relevant questions through dialogue and consultation

message of the test: Chinese rhetoric notwithstanding, China’s rise will be as disruptive and difficult as that of any other global power.