Obama's UN Security Council cheque cannot be easily encashed by India: Chinese media

China's state-run media today played down US President Barack Obama's endorsement of India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, saying the US president has handed out a cheque to New Delhi that cannot be easily encashed.

"Much to the delight of Indians and hailed by the Indian media, Obama reportedly alluded to what is called the "emphatic endorsement" for a permanent seat for India in the Security Council, even if he essentially handed the Indians a cheque that cannot be easily cashed," a write-up in the ruling Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily Online, said.

"Also sure enough, he made the most encouraging remarks when addressing Indian college students and the public, dubbing India as a coming superpower, declaring the crackdown on Islamic terrorism in Kashmir and Afghanistan.

"He, too, never failed to hail India's democratic values," it said.

Referring to the $10 billion deals clinched during Obama's visit, it said, "The Indian government is helping President Obama make his case; and at the time, India, in the eyes of the US president, seems nothing but the last straw worth clutching at".

"Even though India cannot totally let go the worry that on the US radar screen, strategic vision of India remains diminutive compared with the rival Pakistan, and the US would still have to reach out to China while hand-in-hand with India, it seems that India would rather step much closer to the US than ever," it said.

Pointing out that China remained the focus of Obama's visit, the write-up said "even so, it is too early to conclude Obama would satisfy India's expectations better and more concretely than, say, the previous Bush administration.

"And it is absurd to say Obama's whirlwind tour to India is a proof that the US strategic focus has been shifted from Beijing to Delhi," it said.

The write-up also took note of the fact that the 73-year-old Prime Minister Manmohan Singh waited at the airport to greet the 49-year-old Obama and his biggest ever delegation of 250 US business executives, with the solitary aim to boost US exports.