Diplomacy: When East Meets East

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The Chinese are careful not to portray their new Ostpolitik in terms that might offend Moscow. Still, Soviet diplomats in Peking have reportedly complained that China is trying to drive a wedge between the Soviets and their allies. Whatever the motive, the bold gambit in Moscow's backyard may reflect China's growing self-confidence in international affairs.

But there has also been, from the Chinese point of view, a welcome change of attitude within the Soviet camp. Said an East European observer: "We ourselves never thought that in the Sino-Soviet dispute the fault lay solely with the Chinese."