So, we're teetering closer than ever to a diplomatic something between the United States and China - something that could, one way or another, have a direct effect on paperwork and people traveling between the two countries. Including, of course, those of us involved in the business of international adoption.

Today is the day that the Dalai Lama is supposed to get a Congressional Gold Medal. He's already been buddying around with Dubya at the White House, and joining Al Gore in the limelight from getting the Nobel Peace Prize.

And the United States has been warned.

Declared Zhang Qingli, the leader of the Communist Party in Tibet: "We are furious. If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there must be no justice or good people in the world."

And China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Liu Jianchao, says this will have an "extremely serious impact" on relations between America and China.

As far as they're concerned, the fellow in the orange robes and the Phil Silvers glasses is a dangerous revolutionary intent on splitting the country of China into two parts - the part that's Tibet, where he'll be worshiped as a god-king, and the part that's the rest of China.

Apparently China does have a bit of reputation for making strongly worded statements without doing a lot of following through - at least not right away.

On the other hand, some economists - well, currency traders, at any rate - are taking a look at what exactly China *could* do should it so desire. I don't necessarily speak economese, but what they seem to be saying is that while most of the China-fear in the American press revolves around China's ability to devalue the dollar, what's scarier is their ability to out-produce American companies in high-end electronics and other "high technology" items (and if you've seen how well Chinese cell phones work, you'll know this could happen), in addition to doing things like making prices rise for oil, cement and steel and driving down global wages. In other words, they can kind of take their pick.

If push comes to shove, that is.

Am I the only one feeling a little nervous about all this tension?