In the more immediate naval sphere, however, Beijing appears more assertive.
Rupert Murdoch may appear more assertive, as he did yesterday; he will say that he will restore News Corp.'s good name, as he did yesterday, too.
The quicker action here could signal that federal officials now want to appear more assertive in containing accounting irregularities like those at WorldCom, according to William J. Rochelle III, a bankruptcy expert at the law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski in New York.
Mr. Xi's comments were in the bounds of established Chinese policy, but he appears more willing than his predecessors to show an assertive position on territorial issues, said Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.
Officials in Santa Clara County appear to be more assertive.
But in recent years, the number of militiamen on fishing boats is reported to be increasing and their actions appear to be becoming more assertive in helping to underwrite and enforce China's sovereignty claims.
WASHINGTON — After maintaining a low profile in protests led largely by secular young Egyptians, the Muslim Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition force, appeared to be taking a more assertive role on Thursday, issuing a statement asking for President Hosni Mubarak to step aside for a transitional government.
The idea for a more assertive role appears to be gaining influence.
But as the United Nations prepares to gather the world's environment ministers in Poznan, Poland, next week to try to agree on a new treaty to reduce emissions, both the political will and the economic underpinnings for a much more assertive strategy appear shakier than they did even a few weeks ago.
The prime minister appears to be gambling that his more assertive style will enable him to stamp his authority on parliament even though the relaxation of bumiputera policies could jeopardise support from Malay voters, who have been the main beneficiaries.More fundamentally, there are powerful political arguments to reform or even abolish bumiputera policies.
