While the visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to India could be pushed back by a couple of weeks, there are indications that it could live up to the hype that Wen himself has created about it.“My visit to India is the most important event on my calendar,’’ Wen had said on the sidelines of the third India-ASEAN summit last November. He was originally scheduled to be here between March 27 and March 30, but may now arrive only in the second week of April. As of now, the visit is slated from April 9 to 12. China and India now see each other as upcoming global powerhouses and would like to project the meeting as such. In this context, the appointment of National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan as India’s special representative for the boundary dialogue is significant. There are indications that Narayanan, who succeeds the late J.N. Dixit in this delicate task, could have another round of dialogue with his Chinese counterpart, Dai Bingguo, before Wen’s visit. Wen had told Dixit in Vientiane that he hoped some progress would be made. It is now up to Narayanan to keep that hope afloat. Apart from trying to find a speedier solution to the 2,000km boundary dispute, trade will be high on the agenda. The trade between the two countries has crossed $13 billion and both want that number to reach $20 billion by 2010. Officials will explore opening up more trade points and push for resuming traffic on the Stilwell Road that connects Arunachal Pradesh with Kunming in Southern China via Myanmar. The two sides will also discuss cross-investment that allows businessmen from both countries to invest in each other’s enterprises. An agreement on civil aviation is also in the pipeline to allow daily flights between the two countries. New Delhi is also willing to have air connectivity with Kashgar in Xingjiang province if Beijing has no objection. India is looking at tapping China’s expertise in the mining sector as well as infrastructural development. Though touchy topics like Pakistan and Dalai Lama may still come up, New Delhi has noted the distancing of Beijing from Islamabad on sensitive issues like Kashmir and the drop in sharing of nuclear or missile technology between the two ‘‘all weather friends.’’ Above all, India and China want to send out the signal that even if a solution to the boundary dispute takes time, ties in other areas can still be expanded. Wen knows the world will be watching. After all, the Chinese Premier had told Manmohan Singh in Vientiane: ‘‘The handshake between you and me will the the attention of the entire world.”
