CRI听力:Trade, Commerce to Continue to Top the Agenda of Modi's Visit

This would be Modi's first visit to China as Prime Minister. During his three-day tour in China, he is scheduled to meet with Chinese leaders and participate in a series of cultural and business events.

The first stop of Modi's visit will be the ancient city of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. It is also the home city of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi will also visit Beijing and Shanghai.

PB. R Deepak, a professor of Chinese Studies at the Center of Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University, says the arrangement has historic symbolism.

"I think first, President Xi would like to reciprocate (you know) the kind of hospitality he got from Modi in his hometown Gujarat. Modi has told President Xi that scholar monk Xuanzang has been to his hometown. It was from Xi'an, Xuanzang started off. So I think it is a connection between the two. Another symbolism is the 'Belt and Road' initiative. The Silk Road Economic Belt in fact starts from there."

Modi's trip to China follows a visit by President Xi Jinping to India last September, where the two leaders emphasized cooperation and business deals, including the building of industrial parks and funding for railways.

Doctor Deepak says eight months after the two leaders last met, India and China are working on how to move forward with economic cooperation, and trade and investment will continue to top the agenda during the latest meeting between the two leaders.

"The investment parks which were signed during President Xi are going on. India and China are exploring the investment opportunities in high speed railway, and modernization of India's railway stations. The Chinese team has already conducted feasible studies of the line between Delhi and Channai. Maybe during PM Modi's China visit, we will see more agreements, especially on trade and commerce, economic cooperation. I think that will going to be the primary agenda of PM Modi's China visit."

Doctor Deepak added that the issues related to people to people contact, security cooperation, as well as the boundary question would also be put on the board.

On regional economic cooperation, the professor said the BCIM Economic Corridor and the "Belt and Road" initiative are expected to be discussed in Modi's meetings in China.

"As a matter of fact, India is on board as far as Silk Economic Belt and Road concerned. The BCIM corridor is an important corridor from Indian point of view and also from the Chinese point of view. The Silk Road Economic Belt as well as the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are extremely import for India's security as well as economic development. So I hope sooner or later, or during this visit, we may hear something positive about Belt and Road initiative."

For CRI, this is Sun Yang in New Delhi.