关于在Newsweek中的一句话向各位请教

嘟嘟阿福

前几天在Newsweek上看到一则关于中日问题的报道，其中有一个地方不太明白，现附整段：
Japan announced Friday it would free the Chinese captain, much to everyone else's relief. But this spat in the East China Sea is only a taste of what's to come as a new generation of top leaders, currently led by China's heir apparent Xi Jinping, prepares to take power in 2012. The recent showdown followed the traditional pattern, with an incumbent administration trying to cement its legacy while the incoming team asserts its own authority. Both groups must play to nationalistic voices in the Chinese citizenry. Japan is usually the softest (and safest) target because of its acrimonious history with the mainland. But as the transition moves forward, Beijing can be expected to balk at international pressure on all sorts of issues, like currency revaluation and territorial disputes. The question now becomes, how much hardball will Beijing play?
倒数第二句里的the transition 该怎么理解？谢谢！