Re: China deliberately subdued in reacting to Dalai Lama visit
Something AamBhanda and Burqaposh said triggered a thought that a discussion of Chinese-India relationship should make a lot more interesting and broader discussion.
Chinese, I have read, play for really really long term keeps. While American long term may be 5 to 7 years, Indian long term 10 to 15, the Chinese long term could literally be 50 to 100 years. They just are happy to just wait and wait and be playing numerous fronts on defence and not make moves. The other guys when they get itchy fingers make moves and China simply watches in amusement. Because they know - they don't hav to win. They just have to make sure they don't lose. The other guy will eventually make sure he loses. The size, the deep deep deep cultural integration, the relative docility of the majority of the population, the ability to mix polar opposites (communism and capitalism, deep religion and secularism, traditional superstition and modernity) - all these play to the Chinese advantage.
India, though not in the same scale of China in many of these matters, come with their combination of inexplicable strenghts - the ability to make chaos their strength, the ability to use religious diversity to drive nationalism, the ability to unite even when the geopolitics is offcially linguisting separation(!), and similar deep deep deep cultural identity.
Both countries are comfortable and at peace with their own image of themselves. Both believe they can be much more influential in the world but are awaiting economic thresholds before flexing muscles too much.
Bottom line - these two countries can never go to war with each other for mere territorial expansion. They both rely on foreig trade for feeding their masses. A serious war between nuclear powers such as these two is simply against their DNA.
Why do some Pakistanis think nuclear weapons act as deterrents only between Pakistan and India?
Dalai Lama is an irritant that India employs. it also happens to be the right thing to do.
The Chinese employee their own setof irritants.