Certainly it will be remembered in history. There is no doubt about it. Now you say, relations have improved because you have given them more water at the cost of poor Calcutta. I sympathies with my friends from West Bengal. Now they say, the relations are very good. But don’t go by these things. This is not the test of goods relationship. The test of good relationship is a little longer perspective, their attitude towards the question of refugees coming this side, the question how minorities are treated, etc. All these are very important question. (Interruption). Forgetting these things, merely declaring from the top of the house that our relations with our neighbours have improved in the last two years, as if they were very wrong before two years-that is not the right thing to give an impression like that.
The most important neighbour is China, Personally, I have no grievance about Shri Vajpayee’s visit to China because I think the Minister should go to China. But he very jocularly said in his Television interview that he would not go to God, if God does not invite him, but even if Satan invites him, he will go! It is all right when you say that. Nobody can go to God without invitation and I wish he does not go to God for a long time. But I would also advise him to be careful about Satans. Only because you receive invitations, don’t rush to them. About China we will have to take a little more cautious view. I know the process of improving the bilateral relations and diplomatic relations started during the previous government’s regime - the Congress regime. But what we had in our mind at that time was the awareness of the realism of the assessment of the situation in China, rountabout China and most of the Asian region. Has China changed? If you want to take a view, an assessment of a country like China, you must not merely take the view of a communique issued in Peking when you visited China. China is one of the important countries in the world. It treats itself as a big country and it is a big country. Population-wise and taking many other considerations, it is certainly a big country.
What is its attitude towards its neighbours? What is its world view? This is much more important. When you think in terms of relationship and friendship with a country like China, you will have to take these aspects into consideration.
What is China’s world view? China firmly believes in a Third World war. China does not believe in detente China thinks that unless there is a Third World War, there is no hope of a further revolution. That is one aspect of it.
Has it changed its attitude towards its neighbours? No. In 1962 we had an experience. In 1979 Vietnam had an experience. The mind is the same. Chou En-lai and Mao may no longer be there now there is Deng, Hua and others. But it is the same China as far as its neighbours are concerned.