Count the ways in which India's handling of China is quietly growing firmer. Relations have been bad for years, with the two countries glaring at each other over a long, disputed border. But India, which in the past has mostly sought to placate its more powerful neighbour, is now stiffening its spine. Manmohan Singh, India's usually mild-mannered prime minister, set the tone with a blunt warning in September. He spoke of a "new assertiveness" in China, which he said was seeking a "foothold in South Asia". Subsequently he shuttled about Asia, promoting a "look east" policy of warmer ties with fellow democracies that fret, like India, about a more nationalistic China.
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