'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Asia

Nearly all eyes in the western media have been on Pakistan. (And in the US media, most of the concern has been of a cloyingly US-centric nature: Should "we" continue pushing for early Pakistani elections? How will this affect "our" campaign in Afghanistan? What should "we" do about any threats to the Pakistani nukes? etc., etc.)

Meanwhile, China and Japan have been undertaking a very serious-looking entente. Check out what Xinhua has been loading onto its English-language newsfeed on Chinese foreign policy over the past couple of days...

Just one little item about an Assistant Foreign Minister going to deliver his condolences on Benazir Bhutto's death at the Pakistani Embassy. Nothing else yet about Pakistan. (That doesn't mean that deep in the bowels of the CPC headquarters they aren't discussing the assassination in some depth, and most likely with considerable concern.)

But I rather liked the photos on this page of "Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda pos[ing] for a photo during playing baseball at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Dec. 29, 2007."

It seems they were only playing catch with their mitts there-- no sign of a bat, or a batter. No word on any scores, either.

Xinhua also tells us that Fukuda will "visit the hometown of Confucius in Qufu, Shandong Province, before wrapping up his four-day China tour on Sunday."