Chinese authorities have ruthlessly restored order in Tibet

July 10.-  As President Hu Jintao was feted at the G8 summit in Japan, China secured two important affirmative RSVPs to the opening of the Olympic games in Beijing next month. George Bush was never likely to be a party-pooper. But France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, had suggested his attendance hinged on China’s behaviour in Tibet. He, too, will turn up, bearing tribute to China’s growing sporting, commercial and diplomatic clout.

Over Taiwan, the progress is more than symbolic. The opening of regular charter flights across the Taiwan Strait, allowing thousands of mainland tourists to visit the island, is the most important of a number of confidence-building measures since the victory of Ma Ying-jeou and his China-leaning party, the Kuomintang (KMT), in the presidential election in March ( see article ). After the bellicose sniping at the pro-independence administration of Chen Shui-bian, China seems positively lovey-dovey towards his successor.