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Modi to visit China in May: Swaraj

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Press Trust of India Beijing
Last Updated : Feb 01 2015 | 6:30 PM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on his first visit to China in May this year, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today as the two nations looks to step up the momentum in high-level exchanges.
"Modiji is going to come in May. I will give them dates today. This is a preparatory visit," she told the Indian media after she addressed the Indian Community here.
Prime Minister Modi has had three successful meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the most important being during President Xi's visit to India in September last year.
He also had an occasion to interact with Premier Li Keqiang, Swaraj, who arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit, said.
Swaraj said her maiden visit to China after assuming office last year also focussed on opening the additional route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra for which preparations are on.
"It is a big thing," she said.

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The route is expected to provide more comfortable journey experience to pilgrims with a facility to travel to Kailash-Manasarovar directly by buses.
Modi's visit to China is a reciprocal one by President Xi to India in September last year.
The visit is expected to put at rest concerns in China arising out of US President Barack Obama's second visit to India that some analysts here say is aimed at scuttling burgeoning India-China ties.
Modi as Gujarat chief minister had visited China multiple times and built a relationship with the ruling Communist Party leadership here.
Speculation is rife that Modi will be visiting Kailash through the new route when he arrives on his maiden visit to China as the Prime Minister.
Xi is expected to take him to Xian, capital of his home province Shaanxi, to recreate the bonhomie generated by Modi who had taken the Chinese President to Ahmedabad, the capital of his home state Gujarat.
Earlier addressing the Indian community of Beijing at the Indian Embassy here today, Swaraj appealed to the overseas Indian community to join various campaigns like 'Clean India', 'Clean Ganga' and 'Beti Bachao Beti Padao' initiated by Modi to help India progress.
Swaraj will call on President Xi tomorrow.
Today Swaraj met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
"I myself have had the privilege of engaging my counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who incidentally was the first Foreign Minister we invited to India after our assumption of office," she said while addressing the second India-China Media Forum.
"We expect that the momentum that has been set in the last few months would not only be kept up but accelerated event further at various levels," she said.

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First Published: Feb 01 2015 | 6:30 PM IST

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