It is always entertaining when news from the outside world intrudes upon a seminar. In Hong Kong yesterday I was talking at an event, organised by the Asia Society, on US-Chinese relations. As we were going in, we got the news that Yukio Hatoyama was to resign as prime minister of Japan.
What's that got to do with the relationship between Washington and Beijing?
Quite a lot, as it happens. In his short period as prime minister, Mr Hatoyama had raised the intriguing prospect that Japan might be distancing itself a little from its very tight “special relationship” with the US.
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