India's foreign minister visits China on Wednesday, under pressure at home for “appeasing” his country's powerful northern neighbor over a long-running border dispute and over Tibetan protests. Pranab Mukherjee's four-day visit kicks off on Wednesday, with the world's most populous nations talking the language of partnership, but with mistrust never far from the surface. Trade is flourishing, and will be high on the agenda of the meeting, meant as a follow-up to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit in January, officials said. But a border dispute, which dates back to a 1962 war, still festers. Indian officials in border areas complain of more aggressive Chinese patrolling and encroachment along the Himalayas in the past year, although the central government and senior generals have been at pains to play down the incidents. Tension also rose after Tibetan protests broke out in India earlier this year. The Indian ambassador was reportedly summoned to the foreign ministry in Beijing for a post-midnight dressing down in late March. India's response has disappointed many critics. First, Mukherjee warned the Dalai Lama, who India has hosted for decades, to refrain from any political activity that might harm Sino-Indian relations. The Indian government then closed down central Delhi to allow the Olympic torch relay to pass without protests, albeit without spectators either. The opposition BJP, an advocate of closer ties with China while in government, says this was dangerous appeasement. “The government's craven response to all these endangers India – for it tempts China,” the BJP said after a meeting of its top leaders on Monday, referring to Chinese “incursions”. An Indian official admitted there were “areas of concern” in the relationship but said he would rather not focus on them. Instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of the border dispute, which is the subject of separate talks by special envoys, Mukherjee may be more interested in getting Chinese cooperation over water, he said.
