Goodwill Hunting

Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi has left on what MEA mandarins call a 8216;8216;goodwill visit8217;8217; to China, during which he will ...

Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi has left on what MEA mandarins call a 8216;8216;goodwill visit8217;8217; to China, during which he will meet the Big Three: host Li Peng, chairman of the standing committee of the National People8217;s Congress, President Jiang Zemin as well as general secretary of the Communist Party Hu Jintao.

The visit could become that much more interesting because this is the first high-level meeting between New Delhi and Comrade Hu after his elevation to a top job in the Chinese establishment, and India will be looking for signs on Beijing8217;s part on where the relationship is going.

Once upon a time a couple of decades ago, Hu was the head of the India-China Friendship Association, so he must hopefully remain something of an India hand. New Delhi is certain to revive the association, especially since Hu is all set to become China8217;s Great Leader after Jiang likely gives over his present post in March.

Still, Joshi must surely be considered a harmless sort by the MEA, for having made the grade. Defence Minister George Fernandes8217;s trip is still pending8212;his invitation was issued as early as April last year when the then Foreign minister Jaswant Singh went to Beijing8212;but the Foreign Office shows no signs of relenting.

All eyes are now on PM Vajpayee8217;s visit, scheduled for spring, which the Chinese are said to be really keen about. Hopefully, the MEA8217;s strategy of cultivated languor8212;also known as 8216;8216;preventive diplomacy8217;8217; by the opposing camp8212;will finally pay off.

Our Lanka Breakthrough

Very slowly but surely, India is backtracking on its hands-off policy on Sri Lanka, realising that the disastrous IPKF experience belonged to another era as well as another set of political leaders. New Delhi now seems ready to much more closely assist Colombo in its fight against terrorism read, the LTTE and it helps that Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe is a friend. The quiet policy change has enormous implications for the region. For soon after the BJP came to power, much to Sri Lanka8217;s horror, previous decisions on pursuing LTTE ships in international waters were overturned. Some ten days ago, then, Sri Lanka8217;s navy commander Sandagiri was in the Capital to speak to his counterpart about reversing that order.

Clearly a political decision, New Delhi has now decided that it will offer 8216;8216;much closer cooperation8217;8217; to Sri Lanka on LTTE ships in international waters. That includes more than offering information on maritime location. Colombo will also buy armed equipment, including gunnery for the patrol vessel it bought earlier from New Delhi.

EPG Spells Out To Trouble

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Of course, India and Japan must be fast friends, of course they have so much more in common than differences, and of course Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi will be received with large dollops of warmth in New Delhi8230; The story, unfortunately, is somewhat different, with both nations continuing to pass each other by, speaking in different tongues.

Witness the fate of the Eminent Persons Group EPG between India and Japan. Set up in August 2000, the EPG met a couple of times to discuss the wide gamut of bilateral relations, bit it was quickly wound up. The Japanese say that New Delhi was only interested in focussing on soil techniques and seed yields, since former Agriculture minister Som Pal headed it from the Indian side.

The Indian side dismisses the accusations, pointing out that all Tokyo wanted was to selectively push its point of view on certain strategic issues. Since both couldn8217;t even agree to disagree, the EPG presented its report a year later and was given a quiet burial.

Write to jyotimalhotraexpressindia.com