Chinese President Xi Jinping's hometown to be PM Narendra Modi’s first stop on China visit

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to make Xian his first stop in China as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to return the compliment of Modi's special gesture for him and the Chinese first lady in Ahmedabad last year.

In a related move, Modi's East Asia sojourn will now see a slight change in plan. Earlier, he was supposed to kick off in South Korea, going on to China and finishing in Mongolia. Now, the PM will begin in China, move on to Mongolia and then to South Korea.

In China, the Xian leg promises to be the most interesting. Apart from being the hometown of Xi's father, the president is expected to accompany Modi to the famous Wild Goose Pagoda, a spiritual structure build to highlight famous Chinese Buddhist monk Xuan Zang's journey to India in 645 AD through the ancient Silk Road and return home after a 17-year-long sojourn with precious Buddhist scriptures.

The Xi couple will host a banquet for Modi in Xian after which he will arrive in Beijing for formal talks with the president and Premier Li Keqiang. Modi is also scheduled to preside over a yoga event in Beijing, which will be interesting in a country dominated by Tai Chi.