The increasing tension on the border, the flourishing trade between two countries and the irony that sits there only indicates the Chinese will which says no matter how much friendly your economic relations…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is carrying out a very difficult task.

He is in talks with a dragon who is all colourful and friendly but hides a fire-ball in its belly.

Within hours of his landing at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed two agreements and one memorandum with India.

Xi is the first Chinese President to visit India in eight years.

As a special gesture, thus, Prime Minister Modi broke the general protocol and travelled to Ahmedabad to welcome Xi at Hotel Hyatt.

After a brief one-on-one interaction and signing of the agreements, both the leaders spent time silently spinning the charkha on the floor of Sabarmati Ashram and later strolling on the Sabarmati riverfront with Chinese first lady watching cultural programmes.

It was a display of rare bonhomie.

But somewhere with their assistants and officials, two phones were burning with nonstop buzz.

Hours before Prime Minister Modi wades into formal talks with Xi, who left for Delhi late last evening, Chinese have launched their third incursion into the Indian territory. Friction along the two nations’ 2,200-mile-long border, much of which is undefined and contested, became worse last night.

Last night at Chumur in Ladakh, larger number of armed PLA troops amassed at a new location 2 km from 1st faceoff. Army is not backing down in Chumur. India is matching Chinese troops number to number. All drills are being followed and the flag meeting between two countries remains inconclusive.

Since it is timed well with Xi’s arrival in India, one can see the message clearly that the dragon country wants resolution on the issue badly. Although India has not commented directly on increasing incursions till now, we may remember PM Modi’s direct swipe at China when he was visiting Japan. He had said that some countries have an “expansionist mind-set” that leads to “encroaching on another country, intruding in others’ waters.”

But the operation of the situation needs to be subtle from the point of investment and China’s increasing power trip. If we remember, China has plans to reopen the Silk Route and the Chinese President has just returned from a trip to Sri Lanka.

As Indian Express puts it, “To keep the atmosphere warm and conducive for “constructive” talks, South Block sources said the joint statement would not mention the “One-India” policy raised by India’s political leadership publicly in the last few weeks. In June, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had raised this issue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. During her media interaction earlier this month, she said, “When China’s Foreign Minister was here, he was told, ‘If we believe in One China policy, you should also believe in One India policy’.”

Any such mention would have also meant reciprocity — a reference to One China policy, which was first dropped from a joint statement in 2010 during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit to New Delhi.”

The increasing tension on the border, the flourishing trade between two countries and the irony that sits there only indicates the Chinese will which says no matter how much friendly your economic relations are with China, you will have to deal with the dragon on its own terms.

In such a scenario where India virtually never gains an upper hand, and China increases its presence in the PoK and other parts of the Indian subcontinent, can we trust it?