Nehru, having publically committed himself to defend the Indian border after acknowledging the failure of the Panchsheel Treaty, was at a disadvantage. So long as he single-handedly continued to control Indian policy, the Chinese had a pretty good idea of how India would act. Mao was much too shrewd a campaigner and Chinese intelligence was extremely up-to-date—there was no way that the Forward Policy would be seen as a provocative act.
