UNTIL a few weeks ago, Beijing viewed its relationship with Germany as a model for China's links with western countries. But a month is a long time in Chinese diplomacy, and yesterday Bonn joined the club of governments around the world ordered by Beijing to take unspecified "concrete and effective measures" to atone for alleged misbehaviour.
Since last week's resolution in the German parliament, which condemned China's "policy of repression in Tibet" and called for the protection of Tibetan culture, the two countries have engaged in a round of tit for tat diplomatic snubs. China at the weekend damned the resolution as "per verse" and halted a planned visit next month by the German Foreign Minister, Mr Klaus Kinkel.
Bonn retaliated by cancelling planned visits to China by the Construction and Environment Ministers, and also froze scheduled meetings between German and Chinese senior military officers.
Mr Kinkel was quick to emphasise that the resolution's reference to the Tibetan government in exile was not a vote for Tibetan independence. "We want Tibet to continue to belong to China," he said, while insisting that the German government "will not let Beijing tell us to be quiet about human rights questions or any other matters."
But, even if relations are patched up over coming weeks, this row between China and its biggest European trading partner has shown once and for all that Beijing's tolerance for debate is next to nil.
The Sino-German row had been rumbling since last month, when China cancelled co operation with a Chinese cultural festival in Munich, having taken umbrage at two human rights gatherings. Beijing pressed the Goethe Institute to withdraw support, and refused to give exit visas to Chinese performers. As a result, the festival had to be cancelled at the last moment.
The next target was the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which was ordered to close its Beijing office. Its offence was to host a conference in Germany addressed by the Dalai Lama.
In both these cases, and in the run up to the German parliamentary resolution, Beijing pushed strong behind the scenes for the offenders to cave in to Chinese demands. For China is now supremely confident that the fear of losing business is enough to cow any western country.