That was how Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee described his epochal visit to China from June 22 to 27. The visit saw the two Asian giants make some tangible decisions and end the somewhat cool ties that existed between the two countries. The prime minister's visit came shortly after Hu Jintao took over as the Chinese President.

India reiterated its position that Tibet was a part of China, a position criticized by many who thought New Delhi was selling the Tibetans out. But with the two countries agreeing to open a trading post at Nathu La in Sikkim, India can claim that Beijing has de facto recognized Sikkim as a part of India, something it has not yet done de jure.

Bilateral trade has crossed the $5 billion mark and the expectation is that it is only a matter of time before it reaches $10 billion. The two nations have also agreed to step up cultural, scientific, and military ties. The latter aspect would manifest itself with the Indian and Chinese navies holding a joint exercise off the Chinese coast.

National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra and Chinese Special Representative Dai Bingguo, the seniormost vice-minister in the ministry of foreign affairs, were appointed pointsmen to give a political impetus to the efforts to resolve the border dispute between the two nations.

Text: Ramananda Sengupta

Complete Coverage: The PM visits China