Human Rights
Tibet

By a vote of 413 to 1, the US House of Representatives adopted a resolution that criticized China for its "disproportionate and extreme" response to protests in Tibet, and urged the Beijing government to hold direct, unconditional talks with the Dalai Lama on the future of Tibet. A Chinese FM spokeswoman reacted with "strong indignation and opposition" and called the resolution "a rude interference into China's internal affairs and seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people".

Diplomatic Protection

How embarrassing is it when you pay for a building project in order to win goodwill in a foreign country, only to see the workers from your country complaining against their employer also from your country, fighting with the local police and in the end having to be evacuated back home on a chartered plane? That is what occurred in Equatorial Guinea where Chinese workers went on a strike against the Chinese company that employed them over payment disputes. The problem is strikes are illegal in Equatorial Guinea, and the workers ended up clashing with the local police, resulting in two deaths and four injuries. The Chinese Government lodged a protest with Equatorial Guinea and flew 200 workers back home.