Like the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, China's policy appears to have two faces. With regard to the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issue, it urges restraint and a de-escalation of tensions, but in the territorial disputes in the China Sea, it shows an entirely different face and posture. There seems to be a negative force going against the Chinese leadership. Chinas conflicting policy raises the question: Who holds the real power in China? Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Case_of_Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde China calls for restraint after North Korea threats to U.S. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/us-korea-north-china-idUSBRE92P06T20130326 China Calls on North and South Korea to Exercise Restraint http://www.ntd.tv/en/news/china/201...th-and-south-korea-to-exercise-restraint.html China says war over Iran will bring disaster http://www.spacewar.com/reports/China_says_war_over_Iran_will_bring_disaster_999.html China's "Peaceful Rise" to Great-Power Status http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/61015/zheng-bijian/chinas-peaceful-rise-to-great-power-status "China Threat" or a "Peaceful Rise of China"? http://www.nytimes.com/ref/college/coll-china-politics-007.html
Any nation which China perceives to carry potential to fall squarely in the future within its sphere of influence, such as South Korea or Taiwan, if two such candidates head towards a dispute with one another, China will urge them to de-escalate. Who ever does not fit into such a partnership structure whether for ideological or historical reasons, such as Japan, they need to be contained and neutralized. It's a panda and dragon thingy.
