With the issue of Taiwan independence having subsided, China is turning its attention to the question of Tibet, using its newly acquired power, soft and hard, to impress upon all countries that if they want good relations with Beijing, they will have to give up support of the Dalai Lama.
China's determination to get its way was illustrated by its decision to cancel a summit meeting with the European Union in December because of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to meet the exiled Tibetan leader.
One sign of China's success was the decision by South Africa to bar the Dalai Lama, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, from taking part in a peace conference. China knows it is unlikely that any country in Asia, Africa or Latin America will stand in its way. Its focus is on the West.
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