More broadly, the fact that the anti-secession law was introduced at all comes as a major disappointment to those who had been impressed by the apparent sophistication and skillfulness of recent Chinese diplomacy. Coming in the same week as China’s poorly handled removal of Tung Chee-hwa as Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, the anti-secession law episode illustrates that the mainland’s PR savvy has its limits and that Taiwan will remain an emotional and divisive thorn in the side of Sino-US relations.