Flumesday.com - Hu's on First Trip to India

Hu's On First Trip To India
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this week's main event is for the World Developing Nation Heavyweight Title. In the red corner, standing 5 feet 6 inches, weighing in at 153 pounds, hailing from Jiangsu, China...Hu "The Hammer" Jintao! And in the blue corner at 5 feet 10 inches, weighing 140 pounds, from Gah, West Punjab, India...Manmohan "The Hitman" Singh! No shots below the belt, stubbornness over a border dispute or jokes about one another's English. 'Cause you both talk weird. Let's have a fair fight. Ding-ding-ding. China's leader Hu Jintao arrived in Delhi on Monday to kick off a 4-day state visit to the Jewel in the Crown or, as non-British colonists say, India. The historic meeting between Hu and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh represents the first trip to India by a Chinese head of state in over a decade and the first meeting since the two countries established the "strategic cooperative partnership of peace and prosperity." China loves these beautiful yet meaningless names for diplomatic initiatives. The "harmonious society?" China and India, considered to be the most flourishing economies in the world, are in stiff competition to be the cheap labor capital of the world-- China focusing on production and export, India focusing on IT, call centers and an ability to speak English. However, to keep with the boxing theme, India is getting pummeled by China in every category except software. Perhaps, India is employing a rope-a-dope strategy and is waiting for the right time to strike. India's minister of state for commerce said Monday, "We are not in a race. They have already won the race.” He urged Indians to stop competing with the Chinese and start admiring them. Along with the usual talks of trade, joint technology ventures and nuclear weapons, two major issues will be discussed this week. The first is an ongoing dispute over a Buddhist border city called Tawang and the second is to iron out an agreement that will enhance and protect investment between the two countries. Will the meeting between Hu and Singh this week help to build a friendship between the two blossoming nations or are the two rivals having a pre-battle rendezvous a la DeNiro and Pacino in "Heat"? Either way, this 4-day meeting between China and India means one thing: Thomas Friedman, wherever he may be, plugging his book, will have a 4-day boner.

•Hindustan Times: Hu's Here, To Focus On Strategic Ties
•China Daily: Hu Promotes Mutual Trust In India