Chinese President Xi Jinping to come one day ahead with birthday gifts for PM Narendra Modi

BEIJING: Pakistan’s loss is Ahmedabad’s gain. After cancelling visit to Islamabad, Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Ahmedabad on September 17, earlier than scheduled – on a day when Narendra Modi turns 64 – with a slew of offers in bullet trains, industrial parks, twin city projects, investments besides new cooperation pacts in climate change, energy sector, food security, culture, tourism and film industry.

The details of the visit was finetuned when PM’s special envoy and NSA Ajit Kumar Doval met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and special representative Yang Jiechi. Later Doval met Xi and handed over Modi's personal letter of invite at the People’s Great Hall here. Talking to a select group of media, Doval said that Modi and Xi share excellent personal rapport. Yang and Doval are also special representatives for the boundary question.

When Modi met Xi in Brazil, on the sidelines of the Brics summit, they developed a rapport. Modi had developed strong links with China and Japan during his days as Gujarat CM. He was accorded a red-carpet welcome in one of his trips to Beijing. Modi has been keen on expanding economic ties with China, with particular focus on infrastructure and manufacturing, official sources told ET.

Modi’s remarks on expansionism, made during his Japan visit, would not cast a shadow on Xi's visit. Talking to reporters, assistant foreign minister of China Liu Jianchao said, “we are happy to see India develop friendly relations with other countries. It is not a zero sum game. There is a big cake in which countries have stakes.” Liu handles Asian affairs in the Chinese foreign ministry.

The background for this appears to have been set by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who clarified that the PM's remarks in Tokyo were not against China.
Xi will be on four nation report that will take him to Tajikistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and at the end to India, for three days from September 17. This would match President Pranab Mukherjee's schedule, after he returns from a four-day Vietnam visit on 17th. This is Xi's maiden trip to India as President.

Gujarat and Maharashtra are big gainers from this trip. Following Modi-Xi dialogue on September 18, both sides will announce setting up two industrial parks in Gujarat and Maharashtra. Industrial parks will contribute to Modi’s dream of making India a manufacturing hub.

Besides, the twin city and province cooperation projects will be between Shanghai and Mumbai and Gujarat and Guandong province in South China, Liu informed.

Ahmedabad and Guangzhou, capital of Guandong, will be also part of the twin city cooperation. The two countries will share best practices in twin city cooperation, according to the minister.

The big ticket item from Xi's trip, besides industrial parks, is a framework agreement for railway cooperation.

Besides Liu indicated that Xi will make commitment on expanding Chinese investments in India as it is turns into a very important economic destination.

On the protracted issue of unresolved line of actual control that divides India and China, Liu said that both sides are holding serious consultations on resolution of the matter to settle it in spirit of peace and friendship.