In the early 1990s, in the only instance of civilian nuclear cooperation between India and China, Beijing supplied one consignment of enriched uranium fuel to the Tarapur nuclear reactors. Building on that precedent, Hu has the option of taking that big political leap forward to transform Sino-Indian relations. With no political breakthrough on the boundary dispute, Hu will have very little to show for his visit to India, only the second by a Chinese president in the last six decades.

Hu will recall that the success of Chinese premier Wen Jiabao to New Delhi last year was based on the negotiation of an agreement on the principles to resolve the boundary dispute and the proclaimed Chinese support to India’s candidature for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

Since then the boundary talks have stalled, and China was in the forefront of the campaign to prevent Japan and India from gaining permanent seats at the UNSC. Hu has nothing to lose and everything to gain by adopting a positive approach to India on bilateral nuclear cooperation. China should be fully aware of the extraordinary weight the Indian government and the people have placed on the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal which promises to end three decades of international nuclear discrimination against India.

If China continues to duck the issue, it will not only reinforce all the traditional political prejudices against it in India. In opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal, but reaffirming nuclear cooperation with Pakistan, Hu will be letting down all those in India who have worked for an improvement in bilateral relations.

... contd.