Hawks in search of appropriate atmospheric metaphors to describe Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to China would have been heartened by the constant turbulence accompanying Air India One's flight to Beijing early on Sunday and the below freezing temperatures -- minus eight degrees Centigrade -- that greeted the Indian delegation in the Chinese capital that morning.
But forecasts of a frosty, rough patch in India-China relations, observers in New Delhi and Beijing told rediff.com, may be inaccurate for now.
The Chinese would neither like controversy nor conflict till the Olympics conclude this August. The Games are Beijing's long awaited moment to seize what it believes is its rightful place in the sun and it won't allow anything -- not even next week's referendum in Taiwan -- to rain on its parade.
Even though the Chinese have been vocal about their claim to Arunachal Pradesh in the past 14 months, these observers believe no movement is expected on the contentious border issue during the prime minister's visit.
The Chinese know the prime minister has been weakened by the political stalemate over the India-US nuclear agreement, but Dr Singh, these observers say, begins his official talks with the Chinese leadership on Monday confident that India today has a minimum credible deterrent vis-a-vis China.
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