But by upping the ante, they may be hoping to win concessions in other areas. A decision on the sales is due this month and China has been lobbying furiously against the plan. Perhaps Beijing believes it can use its moral advantage after the Hainan incident to influence negotiations on the terms of its entry into the World Trade Organisation. And perhaps its military leaders see the affair as an ideal opportunity to test the mettle of America's new president while demonstrating the government's resolve to nationalist Chinese public opinion. This Chinese approach is akin to a chess game.
Some pieces move forward, some move back.
Some are sacrificed for bigger gains elsewhere. Unfortunately, Bush is not known as a chess player. He's from Texas. The game he knows is poker. In that kind of contest, a player raises the stakes, then raises them again, until an opponent either gives up or goes bust.