The India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in China to start his three day visit in the country. The visit is intended to increase the level of economic cooperation between the two countries; however, there have been tensions between China and India due to disputes with regard to their borders.

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Last week, Modi tweeted that he is "confident" that his visit will be the initial step in strengthening the economic relations between the two countries.

The Indian PM was greeted by China's President Xi JinPing at the Shaanxi capital Xian - an ancient city which is around thousand kilometers away from the Chinese capital of Beijing. Incidentally, Xi is a native of the Shaanxi province. Making Xian as Modi's first stop to China is largely seen as a gesture to enhance the level of interaction between the two most populous nations. It is said that Modi is expected to visit Beijing and Shanghai at a later date.

The Chinese leader invited Modi while he himself was visiting the Indian prime minister's home state of Gujarat in 2014. Part of Modi's itinerary will include a tour of the Wild Goose Pagoda and a Terracotta Warrior presentation.

Trade between China and India reached US$71 billion last year but China sells more goods to India which resulted in a 2014 Indian trade deficit of more than US$38 billion. Moreover, relationship between the two countries is continually being strained by border disagreements as a result of a 1962 border war. 

The Indian prime minister has changed his country's non-alignment foreign policy in favor of strategic relations with the United States. China on the other hand, is currently improving relations with Pakistan which is India's arch-rival. China plans to heavily invest in Pakistan's infrastructure development.

TagsChina-India, Narenda Modi, Xi'an, gujarat, Pakistan