Beijing plays hardball with Washington

The first clear sign of China's new self-regard went on display at the unlikeliest of venues last fall: the Frankfurt Book Fair. A Chinese delegation had bullied fair organizers into revoking invitations to a pre-fair event to two dissident Chinese writers. Then, the organizers had a re-think and announced they'd allow the dissidents after all. At the announcement, the official Chinese delegation rose and walked out of the hall. "We didn't come here for a lesson in democracy," former Chinese ambassador Mei Zhaorong fumed to reporters. "Those times are over." Few outside Germany took note of China's tough, new tone then. Now many are. After weeks of rancorous squabbling between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues, one thing is clear: China is emerging on the international stage as a stronger, tougher, more assertive nation than at any time in recent memory. U.S. President Barack Obama knows it well. His government's public support for Google in a bitter censorship wrangle; America's intent to ship billions of dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan; and a planned U.S. presidential meeting with the Dalai Lama, have all been met by Beijing with a barrage of threats. Joint military meetings between the U.S. and China have been cancelled. Sanctions against American companies have been promised, and hints have emerged that some official Chinese visits might be scrapped.