Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, speaking at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, noted a recent rise in "incidents" in China as the "dissatisfaction of people in China" turned against authorities. Machimura added that he hoped such incidents would not "become obstacles to a smooth holding of the Beijing Olympics," and expressed some understanding as Japan faced similar "social turmoil" during its period of rapid economic expansion.

While Machimura may have been using his comments to make a subtle jab at his neighbour's insecurities regarding image and the Olympics, his comments hit directly at the major crisis facing the government in Beijing: managing the social and security consequences of a changing China.

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If Ministers undertake to place a copy of a letter, or extra information, in the Library of the House of Commons, s/he will say so, in pretty much exactly those words. It's a formal undertaking. Only ministers can deposit papers in the Library. These are called Deposited Papers and the Library has been receiving them in hard copy for many years.

They are not in the least secret, merely rather inaccessible and pretty often spectacularly dull.

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