Ramesh's China syndrome

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh may have a deeper affinity for China and Chinese companies than his remarks in Beijing last week suggest. Some four years ago, he was invited to write a fortnightly column in Kolkata-based daily The Telegraph. The subject of the column was not specified, but as it turned out, the first four of these were sharply focused on the benefits of Chinese investments. When it was suggested that he write on other topics of readers’ interest as well, Ramesh stopped writing altogether. Later, a Chinese diplomat in Kolkata grumbled to a senior journalist that Ramesh had been forced to stop writing because he was promoting Chinese investment!