Incisor Trading

Beijing and Taiwan are always baring their fangs at each other, but usually over matters of war and diplomacy, not teeth. But Wednesday saw China's government furiously denying that Taiwan owns a prime relic: one of the teeth of the Buddha.

Beijing insists that only two teeth survived the Buddhas cremation, one of which is in Beijing, the other in Sri Lanka, and says the 2,000-year-old tooth presented to Taiwan by Tibetan monks is nothing more than old dente. But Beijings demand that the tooth be returned to China takes the bite out of its protests over the tooths authenticity. Taiwans premier will likely flash his pearly whites when he greets the third tooth on its arrival Thursday. Beijings leaders are more likely to be gnashing theirs.