April's far from being the cruellest month for Defence Minister George Fernandes. Five years after he named China as India’s major rival, contributing to the bilateral tensions that grew after the Pokharan tests, Fernandes is off on a week-long visit to that country from April 20.The significance of Defence Minister’s much-awaited trip lies in the fact that it is making amends with China for his outspokenness in 1998 as a preparatory trip for Prime Minister Vajpayee’s own visit later this June.Highly placed sources said that since Vajpayee’s visit was likely to make progress on all existing issues, ranging from the differences that both sides have on the Line of Actual Control as well as on the border, Sikkim and Tibet, Fernandes is likely to push for movement on all these fronts.Back in May 1998, Vajpayee himself named Beijing as the real reason why India went nuclear, in a letter to then US President Bill Clinton. And although both sides have since exchanged a number of major visits— including by Chinese premier Zhu Rongji as well as the former Chinese National People’s Congress chief Li Peng, which have contributed to substantially improving the relationship, Fernandes’ trip would really amount to finally laying the ghosts of the past.Although the final details of his trip are still being worked out, Fernandes is likely to visit Beijing and Shanghai as well as some army installations elsewhere in the country.He is also expected to meet the top Chinese leadership, including Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Foreign minister Li Zhaoxing, besides his host Cao Gangchuan. A meeting with Hu Jintao, the new President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party could also be on the cards.The Defence minister was all set to go on March 29, when New Delhi put off all major outgoing visits— including one by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to Mauritius— because of the Iraq war. Then the SARS outbreak in China further delayed the visit.
