It's not so much ineffectiveness. My real comment was that over the period I was there—and I have to remind you that this was from 2005 to 2009—it was a different government in China. My experience over that period in time was that headlines didn't resolve issues. Ongoing, consistent and principled diplomatic contact and discussions did resolve issues.
I can't speak for today's environment. I know that the situation has changed dramatically. I know there's a lot of frustration with actions China has taken in recent years, with good reason, and I can understand why people would be saying now that the kind of diplomacy we practised over the period I was there hasn't proven to be effective, particularly in dealing with these newer or other consular cases. I was really just speaking about my own experience.
It's certainly not syrupy-sweet diplomacy. Anybody who has been engaged in bilateral discussions with the Chinese knows that there's nothing syrupy-sweet about it. We went in with tough positions. We explained our positions honestly and frankly to the Chinese, and they gave us frank responses. I found that approach most effective over the period we were there when I was appointed as ambassador in China.