When we guys first discover how handy a hammer is, everything looks like a nail.

Beijing has unearthed hammer diplomacy. Angry that the United States is selling Taiwan a dozen missiles, the Chinese leadership has threatened to boycott the companies involved in the sale. Beijing, though, risks over-stepping legal boundaries and business prudence in such a precipitous move. The WTO could slap the country down over discrimination against foreign suppliers of civilian equipment, in which case China’s own exports could become sanctioned for the value of the loss of business to US companies.

Commericially, China could shoot itself in the foot by smacking around the very company that is helping it develop its own aircraft industry: Boeing. China will not be in a position to oust the foreign air-devils until 2020, when it releases its own jumbo jet. Boeing and rival Airbus are instrumental in the development of the turbine-driven albatross.“They’ll probably rap [Boeing’s] knuckles for six months, order 20 Airbuses and then let it all die down,” one aviation executive told the Financial Times.

As Beijing gets the lay of the diplomatic land and learns to separate government from business, it will gradually stop blurting out its “displeasure” with this and that country and company and divine how  to balance the increasing number of interests it will of necessity have to pick up as it gains clout – and responsibility – on the world stage.

China needs a toolbox. And it needs to pry its grip from the hammer it found so handy hundreds of years ago.

Further reading: FT