The outbreak of full on war between India and China would be a blessing for the world as a whole.The 2 most overpopulated and increasingly arrogant nations doing each other in - a pleasant prospect.

I've just come back from Tawang (January 2010) after paying for a permit and felt sad that India wasted so much money keeping all those troops doing nothing up the road to the border pass itself, freezing cold and miserable.

The amount of money it cost to keep them there along that border - road construction, fuel to stay warm, food and clothing - could allow every child in India to get free primary schooling. China is not likely to invade India again as in 1962 or come down that road but nor are they going to renounce their claim to Tibet.

The talks will obviously get nowhere either as their territorial claims are mutually exclusive but they might usefully at least reduce their military expenditure on the border as a start.