The Straight Talk Orient Express

In August, a Chinese diplomat politely offered his opinion that the U.S. government should "shut up and keep quiet" about increases in about Chinese defense spending. Now, according to McClatchy's China correspondant Tim Johnson, that same guy is being rewarded for his subtle use of appropriate diplomatic channels:

The "un-diplomatic" diplomat, Sha Zukang, just won a plum assignment near the top of the United Nations hierarchy. He'll be undersecretary of economic and social affairs, a post just under Secretary General Ban Ki-moon….

Sha threw diplomatic language to the winds last August when he told the BBC that the Bush administration has no place criticizing increases in Chinese military spending. . . . His statements raised hackles in Washington, but heartened Chinese who have grown weary of U.S. criticism of the nation's rise.

As the Worldwide Standard's Michael Goldfarb notes: "Sha has blazed a trail for all those young internationalists aspiring to a career in world government. You want to get ahead? Just tell the United States to go f%&# itself."