[ardmoreokie]

India is building up ties with countries which don't have the best of ties with China incl.Mongolia,Vietnam & Japan.

All of these countries you listed have more cultural affinity with China than India on any given day. For India to even reach Mongolia, it would have to cross Chinese or Pakistani air space. Sino-Mongolia relations are at an all time high also. India can only take advantage of the Sino-Japanese split and try to befriend Japan. But the Japanese are cunning, they don't become your friends for nothing (i.e., India has no oil nor veto power in the UN). India is not about to try to contain China, which is THREE TIMES larger in territory than India and borders India from high ground advantage. Look at a map, India is confined in the South Asian subcontinent, while China extends from Central Asia to the Pacific Ocean. It would be absolutely stupid for India to contain China without Chinese provocation.

[sukhoi-30mki]

If cultural affinity was decisive,then the world would have been a far better place than it is now!!If Japan is cunning in ensuring it's national interests,well then so is every other nation,incl. India & China.

IF the Indian oil minister says improving ties with China is a top priority..well he & others have said the same thing about most other countries including the US,Japan,Russia.