This is the CBS Island World. I'm John Matcher. To Gordon Chang, he's in Tokyo and he's

participating in a conference at Japan's CPAC.

The title of the conference, the whole affair is a world on the brink, the deciding moment.

Gordon will be participating in two national security panels. I want to begin

with some fundamentals. Gordon, the Chinese aggression, predation over these last years is generally understood to be purposeful to

intimidate all the region in order to achieve its goal of retaking or taking or conquering or destroying Taiwan, fill in the blank.

Now there are reports of China reversing itself, no more wolf-oy,

to say that what we have now are lambs going out

and meeting other lambs, the meeting in South Korea

between foreign minister Wang Yi and his opposites in Japan and South Korea as an example.

Has something changed in Beijing as Beijing called off the wolves of these last years and said we were wrong. Good evening to you

Gordon. Good evening John. I don't think there's been a fundamental change in

C. Jimping's outlook and certainly there's been no change in the

foreign ministries formal positions and China's claims of sovereignty around the region.

But nonetheless I think in the last month or so there's been a

softer tone. So for instance, Cijun Ping, who had been refusing to travel around the

region to conferences, including the G20 in India, decided to go to San Francisco

on the 15th of November.

Also, we're seeing Wongi, the foreign minister, try to make nice to Japan and to China.

And I think if there is a reason for this, it's because it's becoming evident to everybody around the region, including the world,

that China's economy is in a severe situation.

Let's go round the dial, clockwise. Japan, Any gesture needs backing up with a effect.

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