<p><strong>'In his eloquent analysis of how Chinese themselves perceive their country’s much enhanced global profile, Jian Yang suggests that it behooves Beijing to “address other countries’ concerns about its rise in a more sophisticated, rational manner”. “Clearly, the acceptance of China’s rise by the international society is a core Chinese national interest”, Yang argues. As the Chinese Communist Party makes preparations for an unprecedented grandiose military parade to mark the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic on 1 October 2009, however, the question of whether Beijing will temper its hard-nosed power projection with sensitivity towards the feelings of friends and foes looms ever larger on the world stage.'</strong><em>Willy Lam, Akita International University, Japan</em></p>