Signals for hope in Asian meet

But establishing a personal chemistry with Xi is high priority,with New Delhi keen on unclogging differences that have historically dominated this discourse.

Xis memories of history may in fact,be different. In 1962,the year India and China went to war,Xis father,the veteran revolutionary Xi Zhongxun,was purged by Mao Tse-Tung for lending support to the publication of a book deemed critical of him. Xi Jinping,all of nine then,saw his life change dramatically as his father spent the next 16 years in prison.

He struggled to become a CPC member,his application being rejected nine times because of his fathers problems,until finally gaining entry in 1974. After Maos death,Xis father was rehabilitated by Hu Yaobang,the mentor of Hu Jintao,Xis predecessor. Then started the re-emergence of Xis family in the CPC,as his father got inseparably associated with Chinas economic liberalisation and the creation of its SEZs a project Singh was to initiate in India in the next decade.

If bonding at the highest level is seen to hold the key to stability in the India-China relationship as had been the case between Singh and former Premier Wen Jiabao then the personal histories of Singh and Xi,embedded in the economic transitions of their countries,is of particular significance.

And yet,the dynamics would have to be different. Xi is a generation younger to Singh,and age matters in Asian relationships. Also,New Delhi is conscious about Xis close links with the Peoples Liberation Army establishment.

These links took root between 1979 and 1982,when Xi was personal secretary mishu to then defence minister Geng Biao,also a friend of Xis father. It is believed that Xis military associates still remain his closest friends,with whom he likes to spend time,and which possibly impacts his worldview.

But senior government sources emphasised Xi has sought to send the right signals to India his five-point formulation on relations and his letter to Singh during the course of the political transition.

India will at some stage want a clearer enunciation of what Xi has in mind when he talks about accommodating each others core interests. But indications are it wont burden this conversation with such issues unless they are vigorously brought up by the Chinese side.

The focus is likely to be more on achieving comfort levels so that both leave the room on a hopeful note. As a senior government source put it when asked about the outcomes expected from the meeting,We are not looking for outcomes. Thats not the way we work. Its not Asian,just to look for outcomes.