'Beijing is watching Obama's visit closely. While Chinese leaders have faced opposition from Japan and Vietnam, they view India's rise with caution.'
With China hardening its stance on the Kashmir issue, India now should be rethinking on appropriate policy options on Tibet, Taiwan or even on Xinjiang, says China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
China's reported move to construct two more nuclear power plants in Pakistan was expected to be discussed at the 46-member Nuclear Supplies Group's five-day meeting at Christchurch, New Zealand last month.
The implication of this stiff stance by China towards Pakistan could have far reaching consequences for the gains achieved in India-China relations including from last year's Copenhagen dividend and the high-level visits between the two, writes Srikanth Kondapalli.
During his visit to China beginning Monday, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna is expected to raise a number of issues with his counterpart Yang Jiechi and other top leaders. The tour assumes significance because this is the first high-level visit between the two countries after a series of spats in the media accusing each other.
The diplomatic efforts by China indicate dousing tensions between India and Pakistan, but the central issue, counter-terrorism, may take a back seat.
At a cursory look, the development of a new strategic submarine by China appear to be of marginal impact on India as Sanya base is far away from Indian shores and as such ground-based missiles in China could be deployed in the event of skirmishes between the two rising countries in Asia. Besides, the avowed aim in developing the new Jin SSBN is not to target India but the United States, in the Chinese quest to become a great power in the world.
If the effort of bidding and conducting Olympics is to showcase China's rise to the world, popular indictments at the global and Tibetan levels have unnerved Beijing. For so long Tibet is considered to be the minimalist foreign policy position for China, while the Olympics indicated its bidding for global legitimacy for its policies.
A successful conclusion of Beijing Olympics would give China the much needed fillip to not only rise further in the global order but also the "political legitimacy" in the major capitals across the world. However, the journey towards great power status is arduous, if not impossible to realise.
Despite "positive" signals from Beijing during the PM's visit on the civilian nuclear technology issue, no progress is made on either a nuclear "de-targeting" or "non-targeting" agreements between the two countries. Nevertheless, it needs to be pointed out that Beijing is now prepared to support India in "important" international institutions and expressed its view to work with New Delhi in regional and international affairs.
This programme is qualitatively a downgraded version as compared to the Chinese military exercises with others such as with Russia (in August 2005), Pakistan (in 2005 at Taxkorgan area north of Sakshgam valley and in December 2006 at Abbotabad in Pakistan), Central Asian Republics (in August 2007).
Sonia referred to her trip as a 'milestone' in bilateral relations, while Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao termed her work in improving bilateral relations as 'of great importance'
There is growing consensus in the political landscapes of New Delhi and Taipei that such cooperation is in their mutual interests in the age of globalisation.
China's anti-satellite missile may be targetted at the US now, but it can easily be turned on India.
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