81.   But senior officials have no appetite for another confrontation with China, especially in an election year in which Sino-American relations have already been a big headache.

82.   But media relations is not an end in itself.

83.   But she stressed that isolating China is not an option because U.S.-Sino relations are too central to American interests.

84.   But the document notes that relations are much better now with Moscow.

85.   But they warned that US-Mexico relations could be hurt if the vacancy remained unfilled for several months.

86.   But with Palestinian-controlled areas under tight Israeli blockade, any elections would require considerable Israeli cooperation, and Israeli-Palestinian relations are at a low ebb.

87.   By all measures, U.S.-Russia relations are at their lowest ebb since the end of the Cold War.

88.   But whether relations have been on the wax or wane, hostility or at least suspicion toward Israel has remained a constant of Arab popular culture.

89.   China conducted military and missile exercises near Taiwan in response, and Chinese-American relations were chilled.

90.   Chinese with their feet in both worlds insist that the social and economic relations are too strong to destroy and hope that the politics will ultimately be dragged along.