Chinese Reforms Fail to Halt Riots
China's continuing crusade to win hearts and minds in the war against feudalism suffered a setback today as Beijing admitted that anti-government demonstrations are spreading.
The state-run Xinhua news agency also reported that Chinese soldiers had wounded four rioters "in self-defence", presumably while doing a superlative job under difficult circumstances.
Inevitably, in the light of today's events hawks in Beijing will be asking whether the time has come to unhand the fist inside the iron glove.
China has come under international pressure to act with restraint in Tibet, where the feudal government was toppled and replaced with a modernising one in 1951.
Since the invasion, successive Chinese governments have made considerable efforts to encourage an appropriate sense of Tibetanness insofar as it is compatible with a proper understanding of fundamental Chinese values.
Despite China's recent economic liberalisation and introduction of a market economy, the present unrest in the region will be seen as a setback for Beijing.
The US secretary of state and moral arbiter, Condoleezza Rice, reportedly "strongly urged" her Chinese counterpart to tread carefully in the region during a 20-minute phone call.
Should these urgings be in vain, it is not clear what sanctions the US intends to impose against China, beyond the possibility of further 20-minute phone calls from Condoleezza Rice.
The state-run Xinhua news agency also reported that Chinese soldiers had wounded four rioters "in self-defence", presumably while doing a superlative job under difficult circumstances.
Inevitably, in the light of today's events hawks in Beijing will be asking whether the time has come to unhand the fist inside the iron glove.
China has come under international pressure to act with restraint in Tibet, where the feudal government was toppled and replaced with a modernising one in 1951.
Since the invasion, successive Chinese governments have made considerable efforts to encourage an appropriate sense of Tibetanness insofar as it is compatible with a proper understanding of fundamental Chinese values.
Despite China's recent economic liberalisation and introduction of a market economy, the present unrest in the region will be seen as a setback for Beijing.
The US secretary of state and moral arbiter, Condoleezza Rice, reportedly "strongly urged" her Chinese counterpart to tread carefully in the region during a 20-minute phone call.
Should these urgings be in vain, it is not clear what sanctions the US intends to impose against China, beyond the possibility of further 20-minute phone calls from Condoleezza Rice.
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