Then, in October, China signed the United Nations covenant on civil and political rights, regarded as a cornerstone for civil liberties. Beijing does not have to abide by its statutes until it ratifies the document, perhaps many years from now. But as long as it is studying the text, the condemnations of foreign leaders and human rights pressure groups will carry less force. China is also sticking its diplomatic nose into new areas, such as the Middle East and former Soviet central Asia. Building economic links with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan may help China to prevent Moslem separatists from infiltrating its volatile north-west frontier region of Xinjiang.
Some analysts are more blunt.
China understands there is only one superpower. There are numerous examples of attempts to seek a balance to US influence, or even undermine it. EU officials said that during the visit of Jacques Santer, president of the European Commission, in October, senior Chinese officials made little secret of their hope that the euro would become strong enough to balance the dominance of the dollar and yen. China plans to convert a significant amount of its foreign currency reserves into euros following the currency's launch, and issue bonds dominated in the European currency, officials have said. Chinese diplomacy has made significant strides this year.