By Manish Chand, IANS,
New Delhi : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi may not be welcome in the US, but China is ready to roll out the red carpet for him as he gears up to visit the world’s fastest growing economy and Asian powerhouse next month.
Modi is likely to visit China Nov 8, reliable sources told IANS. The visit has been cleared by the external affairs ministry.
Modi is expected to make a pitch for greater Chinese investment in Gujarat and showcase his state as a hub for foreign investment. In particular, Modi is likely to discuss the prospects of Huawei, China’s biggest telecom company which has a considerable presence in India, investing in Gujarat.
China has been impressed by the economic transformation of Gujarat in the last decade and the massive foreign investment it has attracted in different sectors. When China’s Vice Minister Ai Ping visited Gujarat last week, he had lauded Gujaratis’ contribution to business development in different countries, including China. He had also extended an invitation to Modi to visit China.
Modi is expected to seek Chinese assistance to develop a “Gautam Buddha circuit”, that includes constructing a temple where Buddha’s relics would be preserved, to attract tourists to the state.
Modi’s visit will take place soon after Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, visits New Delhi and Mumbai next week to explore investment opportunities.
The visit by regional leaders has become a trend of sorts lately, with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar going to China in June. Kumar’s visit was focused on cooperation in the field of infrastructure, agriculture and rural development.
Despite differences over a host of issues, economic ties between India and China have been showing a steady upswing.
The two countries recently held their maiden strategic economic dialogue to exchange their experiences in macro-economic management and to address issues like the growing trade imbalance in favour of Beijing.
Bilateral trade is already touching $60 billion, with both sides confident of scaling it up to $100 billion.
(Manish Chand can be contacted at [email protected])