M A I N   N E W S

PM takes on the Dragon
Anita Katyal writes from Washington

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama arrive for the state ceremony at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. — PTI

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today did some tough talking on China before a largely American audience aheads of his meeting with US President Barack Obama. He made a pointed reference to Beijing’s recent unusual show of assertiveness on its border dispute with India and took a dig at Chinese government for its lack of democratic values.

In the process, he also indirectly indicted US administration for leaning heavily on China which does not share its core values like respect for human rights and democratic institutions which were not reflected in its impressive growth rates.

The Prime Minister’s remarks, made in the course of a question-answer session after his speech at the Washington-based Council for Foreign Relations, come in the backdrop of a reference to China’s role as a regional monitor in a recent Sino-US joint statement, which had evoked a sharp response from New Delhi.

Although India and China have been engaged in a prolonged sparring match in recent weeks at the official level, this is the first time that the PM has taken on China publicly. Responding to a question on China, Singh expressed surprise at China’s recent display of assertiveness even though the two countries had decided that there should be peace and tranquility pending the resolution of its long-pending border dispute.

“There is a certain amount of assertiveness on the part of Chinese…I don’t understand the reason for it but it is something which has to be taken note of,” he told a distinguished audience, comprising some senior US Congress members and foreign policy experts.

However, his severest indictment came when he was asked to compare the development patterns adopted by India and China. Admitting that China’s growth rate was far superior to that of India, the PM said there are certain values like “respect” for human rights, rule of law and mutli-religious and multi-ethnic rights which are not captured by the GDP of a country.

Ridiculing Beijing for its authoritarian setup, the PM said, “I would not like to choose the Chinese path and would prefer the Indian path.”

Referring to criticism that India is slow on reforms, he said it may appear to be indecisive but “once a democracy takes a decision after a wide-ranging consensus, those reforms are far more durable than those imposed by the writ of a ruling group in a non-democratic setup.”

To another question on the US-China joint statement which referred to a larger role for Beijing in South Asia, the Prime Minister dismissed the discussions between US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao as being of “no concern” to India.

He was, however, quick to follow it up by taking note of China’s peaceful rise as a major power and noted that it was only appropriate that India and US should engage with Beijing.

Obama admn thrilled to host PM

Washington, November 24
Visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be greeted by the Obama administration for the first State Guest dinner of his presidency on Tuesday with a red-carpet welcome and a 21-gun salute. The glittering state dinner, the first since the Obamas moved into the White House, would reflect the administration’s priorities and the way it wants to be seen by the world.

The grandeur attached to the event will be in contrast to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit last month, which didn’t even get the usual Oval Office photo opportunity.

“I think this is very appropriate, and no one in Pakistan and no one in any other country should read this in any way as a diminution of the importance we attach to them,” The Globe and Mail quoted Richard Holbrooke, US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying.

“Someone has to have the first trip... a state dinner, a state visit is a big deal, different level of intensity, and President Obama thought this was the right way to go, and we’re thrilled,” he added.

The big prize — far bigger than the glitter of a state dinner — will be if Obama announces that he wants India to have a permanent seat, albeit without a veto, on the UN Security Council. The State Dinner is scheduled soon after his ceremonial welcome at the White House, the first meeting between the two leaders in the United States and a press conference.

The visit to Washington is expected to highlight the strong and growing strategic partnership between the United States and India, and the friendship between the American and Indian people. — ANI