HONG KONG -- The war in Iraq has brought to the surface strains in the Chinese-American relationship that had been papered over because of the two countries' common stand in the war on terrorism.
As was the case after the 9/11 terrorist attacks 18 months ago, when Washington built a worldwide coalition in its war on terror, so today the United States is building another coalition -- this time perhaps more in name than in reality -- to show that its military campaign to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has wide international support.
But three of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- France, Russia and China -- are notably missing from that list.