Sino-Indian ties have gone through some ups and downs in recent times, which has strengthened anti-China-India forces. The recent visit of Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister, to China was the latest example of the bumpy ride that bilateral ties have witnessed.

While few will doubt that Ramesh represents a select number of Indian politicians with a deep understanding of Sino-Indian ties - last year bilateral trade fell from $52 to $42 billion and mutual investments remained erratic - his remark that New Delhi was being excessively cautious about Chinese investments ended up creating a momentary national crisis in India.

The crisis deepened when the Chinese media was seen as defending Ramesh, after which he was forced to apologize. Though momentary, these over-reactions from both sides reflect the underlying deeper skepticism.