Seema Guha

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is making sure her son Rahul is seen in the right places. After accompanying his mom to the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this month, the newly appointed AICC general is likely to head to China with her on Thursday.

Sonia will get a red-carpet welcome, showing the importance Beijing places on the visit.

She will be one of the first foreign dignitaries to meet President Hu Jintao and the newly elected leadership. The Congress chief ’s visit is expected to give a fillip to India-China ties, which have been on a see-saw recently.

China is suspicious of India’s growing relations with the US and feels Washington is trying to contain Beijing’s influence.

Sonia’s visit will also signal the importance New Delhi attaches to ties with China. She will also reassure them of India’s belief that the two Asian nations can grow and live together.

While the visit will typically give Sonia a chance to meet top Chinese leaders, the most significant aspect is Rahul getting an opportunity to observe diplomacy at the highest levels.

China, incidentally, felicitated Rahul Gandhi’s elevation to the AICC. In fact, Rajiv Gandhi had made a landmark visit to China to repair ties in 1988. It was the first visit by a sitting PM to Beijing since the 1962 war put relations in deep freeze.

Minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma, junior minister in the PMO Prithiviraj Chauhan and Karan Singh, who heads the Congress’ foreign affairs cell will also be accompanying Sonia.

Source : DNA