A Chinese cyclist passes BY a Japanese-made car in central Beijing June 22, 2001. Japan and China dug in their heels in an escalating trade war between the giant neighbours, with Tokyo slamming Beijing's punitive tariffs on its cars and mobile phones as unjustifiable. Japan, the world's second-largest economy, stood defiant on June 22 in the festering row and took shelter behind international trade rules.

GN/JD