NEW DELHI -- The new foreign-policy subtleness that China has displayed in recent years is a far cry from the coarse image its earlier Communist rulers presented, especially when they set out, in then-Premier Zhou Enlai's words, to "teach India a lesson" in 1962, or when, to quote strongman Deng Xiaoping, they similarly sought to "teach a lesson to Vietnam" in 1979.
Old habits, however, die hard. One example of China's new velvet glove slipping off came when it menacingly scripted anti-Japanese mob protests five months ago.
While pursuing a dynamic diplomacy to enhance its political influence and build soft power, China faces the challenge of containing the recrudescence of past-style crudity at a time when it is substituting ideology with increasingly fervent nationalism. A reminder of that challenge came recently when its Bombay-based consul general -- throwing diplomatic norms to the wind -- audaciously talked down to the Indian defense minister at a seminar and then received public support from his ambassador in New Delhi.