The Washington Post reports today that the Chinese government quietly dispatched its vice foreign minister to meet with representatives of several presidential campaigns last week:

One of China's top government officials reached out to the leading U.S. presidential contenders last week, holding an unpublicized meeting with several of their top foreign policy advisers during a visit to Washington for high-level talks with Bush administration officials.

Among those present for the dinner with Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo on June 19, according to people familiar with the encounter, were top advisers to Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R)...

By several accounts, the meeting was generally cordial, with Dai listing many areas of potential cooperation and warning the participants that they should not rock the boat on the status of Taiwan, which remains of paramount concern to Beijing.

Wary about pressure from U.S. politicians for China to ease controls on the fluctuation of its currency, Dai made a case for the benefits of expanding economic ties between the two countries, the sources said.

Dai also told the small group that China was interested in helping to stop the violence in Darfur but added that the 2008 Olympics in Beijing should not be held hostage to the issue. Some of the presidential contenders, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), have suggested that the U.S. consider boycotting the Games if China does not do more to pressure Khartoum over the issue.

This is an interesting indication of China improving the way it 'plays the game' in DC. By opening lines of communication early, and establishing relationships with key advisers, the Chinese government might hope to improve upon what could already be considered a remarkably smooth relationship, given all the irritants between the two countries. One wonders how much more of this must go on than meets the eye.

There are many nations who would like to improve their relations with the United States, and who might see the upcoming presidential transition as a good opportunity to do that. Which ones might now be reaching out--in a less obtrusive way--to the nascent campaigns?

It's also interesting that among the 'top tier candidates,' Giuliani was the only one not to send a representative. Perhaps Giuliani is the real China hawk among the candidates for 2008, even if our friends over at The American Scene seem to think that title belongs to McCain--they claim they won't "be shocked if McCain got us into a war with China." Go figure.