Jokes aside guys, in the recent visit to China, request was made for assitance with the Northern Rock fiasco here in the UK in exchange for UK financial assitance and know how to the Chineese.
I think this is a brilliant master stroke to gain Chineese connection and financial contacts wilst bailing out the Northern Rock liability from the UK tax payer.
You will not hear this in the public media as it is commonly referred to as back channel diplomacy.
You probably already heard about the playing down of the Tianomon incident and Chineese human rights. (Just for the record I think Chineese human rights are far superior to the West or USA's!).
Also, I think it's a good move to give Bush / US connections a colder shoulder and a warmer one to the Asian tigers. Warm currents of change are blowing already.
Let Sarkozy and Merkel warm up to Bush as in the last year or so...