--- China will im Streit mit Hongkong ein wenig gut Wetter machen: Seeking to ease tensions, the Chinese government dispatched a senior official to Hong Kong on Wednesday to reassure the enclave's worried political activists that Beijing means them no harm. The envoy, Qiao Xiaoyang, deputy secretary general of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, immediately launched into a round of formal meetings with Hong Kong's intelligentsia, professionals and Legislative Council members. His swift arrival and willingness to discuss Hong Kong's aspirations for full democracy were seen here as the beginnings of a charm offensive by the Communist Party leadership in Beijing after months of acrimony and name-calling.