Chinese President Xi Jinping is bound for India next week for his first official visit, the foreign ministry announced Tuesday.

The announcement came just weeks after India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tokyo to forge better economic ties with Japan. This, according to reports, is a move to shore up alliances in the region in countering China's growing influence.

Like Us on Facebook

Beginning on Thursday, President Xi's trip will take him first to the central Asian state of Tajikistan where he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting until Friday, before he heads to the South Asian islands of Maldives and Sri Lanka.

The four-nation trip will culminate in India, the Chinese foreign ministry website announces.

Specific dates were not given although the official statements said that Xi's tour will end on September 19. The tour initially included a visit to Pakistan, but was postponed because of ongoing unrest in the country.

President Xi's upcoming visit figured prominently at the BRICS Summit held in Brazil last month where he first met with Modi.

Just last year, Premier Li Keqiang made New Delhi his first destination after taking over office to emphasize the importance of Indian ties to China.

Ties between China and India have long been clouded by tensions over the Himalayas, a disputed territory. In 1962, the Himalayas saw a brief border war between India and China.

Not a few weeks ago, Chinese troops made military advancements in a territory claimed by India, which according to reports raised greater tension between the countries following a similar incident last year.

India remains as China's biggest trading partner. The two-way commerce between the economic rivals bring in a total of US$70 billion. Since 2002, however, India's Chinese trade deficit soared to over U$40 billion dollars, according to reports.

President Xi's visit in the coming days is expected to bring in "substantial" results, New Delhi's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday.

TagsIndia visit, BRIC, Sino-Indian relations