Wen and Singh – a tense, cold meeting in warm, friendly Thailand
At Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s bilateral, on the margins of ASEAN’s annual summit, the two looked like an unhappy couple at someone’s wedding. Singh commented, “We have reached important consensus on promoting bilateral ties, and I believe that our two countries could maintain a good relationship in the future.” However, there remain the irritants of the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh from his mountain home in Dharmsala, as well as the two nations' unresolved border dispute flaring up again. (In 1962, the two nations fought a real war along the disputed border.) The Times of India reports Indian suspicions of China are growing. They are suspicious of Beijing’s activities in Nepal, the small country sandwiched between the two giants. Besides Chinese construction projects, a key indicator is a clutch of language and cultural centres that teach Chinese – but only to Nepalese citizens. The Indians also say they are worried about Chinese/Nepalese plans to reorient rivers flowing from the Himalayas towards China. But, the Indians are moving to strengthen their traditionally strong position in Nepal as well – they are about to initial a new free-trade treaty with Nepal.Read more: BusinessWeek
Become an Insider