Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a man of few words. But when he chose to describe his informal dinner chat on January 13th evening with Premier Wen Jiabao as an "essay in mutual comprehension", it set the stage for his next two days of official talks with the Chinese leadership that is expected to narrow down differences on their border dispute and get Beijing's implied support to New Delhi's quest for civil nuclear cooperation.

The private dinner was given by Premier Wen at the historic Diaoyutai State Guesthouse where only four other senior government leaders and officials on both sides were present. But such was the chemistry between the two leaders - despite they speaking through an interpreter - that Wen told his officials that he was deeply impressed by Manmohan Singh's sagacity, foresightedness and logical thinking. "We might have differences," a senior Chinese official told IANS, "but these differences are getting narrowed by the day."

An Indian official, who did not want to speak on record ahead of the crucial talks, said the two prime ministers had laid down the "larger perspective" of relations by their taking a "broad 360 degree" view of their areas of agreement and disagreement. "There will be no dramatic decisions, but the relations will not be held hostage to differences over the border or other issues as well," the official stated.

Arriving in Beijing early on January 13th at the start of his maiden governmental visit to China, Manmohan Singh told the doubters among the Indian business community that working together with China was a "historical necessity" and should be "viewed as an 'international public good'."

"At a time when there are concerns about a global economic slowdown, China and India can sustain global growth through their own development," he stated, laying down the policy framework for his government where sections of the bureaucracy had been blocking Chinese business forays into India, often on specious security grounds, or played up the Chinese "threat" card in border and other complex diplomatic negotiations.

Manmohan Singh, who was accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, and a 20-member business delegation, plunged into the first engagement of his trip within a few hours of arrival by visiting the Beijing Olympic Centre and going round its facilities as the city prepares to host the Olympics in seven months' time.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang, in a lunch interaction with the visiting Indian media, said the visit will promote "peace, development and strategic partnership" between the two countries. "When Manmohan Singh shakes hands with Wen Jiabao, it will catch the eye of the world," spokesman Qin said, emphasising the importance of the two countries to be good neighbours, friends and partners and not be seen as "rivals or enemies" as many would want them to be.

The visit is being keenly watched in world capitals - as both countries enjoy an unprecedented amount of global attention due to their rapid economic rise and swelling strategic importance and are keen not to be seen as feuding neighbours who can't put their act together.

Eleven agreements, including a Joint Statement that in diplomatic language denotes a fair measure of convergence of views on issues, and a framework agreement on cultural cooperation and exchanges, the first between the two countries, will be signed.