Options Muffed G S Bhargava THE External Affairs Minister statement in Parliament on the Sino-Soviet border clashes and the sharp reaction it evoked from Peking have eliminated the chances, if there were any, of normalisation of Sino-Indian relations. Ever since the Prime Minister indicated, at her New Year Day press conference, India's willingness to negotiate with China without any preconditions on either side, there was speculation, if not hope, of a dialogue with China. We were scanning the horizon for reciprocal hints from Peking. The presence of Chinese diplomats at receptions in Kathmandu and Rangoon for the President and the Prime Minister was noted and even commented upon as a likely straw in (he wind. Now the slate has been wiped clean and our relations with China seem to have reverted to the state in which they were