Days After Jibe at Beijing, PM Will Meet Chinese President in Delhi

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping will make his first visit to India as head of state on a regional visit that starts this week. He is expected in Delhi on Monday, though his itinerary has not yet been shared.

Mr Xi has postponed a trip to Pakistan which had originally been a part of his tour due to ongoing unrest in the country.

From economic parity in 1980, China's growth has outstripped India's fourfold. Its rising economic presence in the Indian Ocean region has stoked concerns in New Delhi that China is creating a "string of pearls" that surrounds India and threatens its security.

While China and India have close economic and historical links, there is deep suspicion too, fuelled in part by a festering border dispute.

Asian great-power diplomacy has stirred to life since the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who announced his intent to play an active role on the world stage by inviting regional leaders to his inauguration in May.

Although Mr Modi seeks pragmatic economic engagement with China, in Tokyo earlier this month he criticised countries with an "expansionist" mindset, a coded jibe against Beijing's assertive behaviour in Southeast Asia.