Everywhere one turns in Australia it is all about China. It seems to hog all the limelight whether it is about floating a global reserve currency, performing above or below projected GDP growth, smarting under chinalco rebuff, picking up ores from Brazils vale at expense of Rio Tinto, Chinese Medicine, cusine or China's interest in Fiji's economic development. The media seems to thrive telling stories, good or bad, about china to the exclusion of everything else, even the erstwhile FPG (Friend, Philosopher and guide) – US. Every time china sneezes, Australia seems to catch a cold – such is the local media frenzy.

The other emerging Asian giant – INDIA – is totally conspicious by its absence in the local media's eye unless there is a disaster, a terrorist attack, some slum related story, jobs being off shored to India from Australia, attacks on students, a Harbhajan ticking off a recalcitrant Buchanan or big bad BCCI holding poor cricket Australia by the short and curly due to its financial clout.

Precious little attention is paid to INDIA with its second highest annual rate of growth globally, rapidly increasing numbers of Millionaires and Billionaires, INDIA diaspora's repatriation of almost $1 billion a week, impressive progress made in every sector of the economy or even the fact that a majority of the Fortune 500 companies are setting up research bases in INDIA to counter their own exorbitant research cost.

The studies or indifferent media reaction to INDIA in general is difficult to fathom at a time when bi-lateral trade has been growing at around 30% annually with Australia being the much greater beneficiary. In 2006-07 Australian exports were around $9billion and in 2008-09 these have risen to $12 billion. Imports from INDIA have been only about 15% of this figure. INDIA today has risen to become the 4^th largest importer of Australian products from the 6^th position a couple of years ago and is one of the few countries which offer Australia a favorable balance of trade.

Why the differences press? Part of this stems from the pacifist nature of INDIA unwilling to stir the pot to project its effervescence. General pacifism has been India's undoing when lesser countries have made the world sit up and notice them through activism. Placating Pakistan instead of forcing it to act embedded terror cells after 26/11; giving in to US pressure on most counts against national interest; meek response to growing insurgency on its own soil; half hearted response to china's encirclement policy which exposes defense vulnerability; unable to even influence much smaller neighbors against unjust treatment of INDIA minorities settled there, et cetera!

When over a Billion people and about 20 % of the global population, INDIA cannot even find a permanent seat in the UN's Security Council. It finds itself pushed around in every international forum and its confused mandarins seek comfort in the fine tuning of wordings of joint communiqués or declarations instead of boldly asserting their views. Even here they sometimes create a mess like the recent sharm-el-sheikh joint statement in Cairo. This when due to its emergence as a global power house, it could have been assertive and leading debates on various international issues with widespread ramification.

Why does it bleat when it could have roared? Why does it have to be so defensive about everything? Is it the colonial mindset which the ageing politicians and their fawning bureaucrats subconsciously display? Surely this cannot be when the grand old patriarch of BJP, A B Vajpayee, thumped his nose at the world and conducted nuclear tests not so many years ago. Sure, the nuclear deal with US is important to INDIA but is it so all encompassing that India’s self respect and independence are sacrificed at its altar? When countries like North Korea or Sri Lanka can tell the world power to “BUTT” out of their internal affairs, why is INDIA so passively acquiescing to whatever is being dictated to it?

China, in the meantime, is creating a circle of influence not only around INDIA but also in far flung places like Africa, South America, Australia and even in South Pacific. With its burgeoning foreign exchange reserves, it is buying up every type of mineral asset it can lay its hands on. Global recessionary conditions are inducing desperation amount vendors and forcing “fireSale” of hitherto profitable ventures – gleefully accepted by forward thinking opportunistic china.

South Pacific is an interesting example of china's foresight. With Australia and NewZealand adopting this area as their own backyard for geopolitical and strategic reasons, it was inconceivable a few years ago that any other country could wield influence here.

The coup in Fiji in 2006 and the extreme reaction of Australia and New Zealand towards this without any independent analysis of the causes for coups happening in Fiji in recent years has greatly diminished their influence and respect in the region. The last coup was based on the dire need for electoral reforms which were deemed important for establishment of true democratic rule for the country.

Both Australia and New Zealand were impervious to these reforms and tried to pressurize Fiji through economic and political means to hold immediate elections without addressing the main reasons for coups. Starved of financial aid, Fiji started reaching out to the outside world for assistance, China was amount the first to respond, helping Fiji with financial aid and soft loans . When Australia protested, it was told firmly by China to mind its own business. With more the 245$ million assistance package to south pacific nations last year, china has scored a telling point

Here, INDIA could have scored considerable amount of “brownie” points and general good will had it come out with attractive assistance packages to help fiji ( where most business are run by Fiji Indian)

out of its economic-mire-ignoring the protestations of various countries . Its Pehle-app attitude is self defeating.

Forthrightness and assertiveness is the name of the game in this world to get noticed. Of course there have been a few shining examples of firm Government responses in recent times but these unfortunately are exceptions rather than the rules.

Indians can be justifiably proud of the firmness which Jairam Ramesh, the environment Minister displayed before Hillary Clinton in response to carbon reduction issues. Similarly the High commissioner and the consul General of INDIA in Australia have been brutally frank in their opinion when discussing with the media and government representative the issues affecting Indian students in Australia. There was no bleating overtone in their approach. More power to Them!

Barack Obama is influencing world thinking with his assertiveness but is also conceding to countries which are equally assertive about their self interest. Pakistan, while being charged by international community for not doing enough to contain terrorism, has still been able to extract billions of dollars of aid , thanks largely to its assertiveness when pushing its cause-right or wrong.

Recent move by INDIA to snub US envoy Richard Holbrooke’s visit is a positive step .Looking forward more of this in near future. The Indian media should focus on international matters and educate the public about the same. Its the responsibility of the media to project the appropriate matter at the right time rather than only thinking of improving their ratings. The general public should encourage such reporters and media .

Is it INDIA's meekness that makes countries take it for granted? Is it a case of democratic “like Poles” repelling each other while temperamental opposites attracting each other?

Surely, there is a lesson for INDIA in all this, How long can it continue to be the bridesmaid and not the bride? When will its defeatist mindset change? When will it sell itself courageously and confidently to the world?