印度总理莫迪访华寻求更紧密关系

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in China for a state visit expected to further boost diplomatic and economic ties between the two Asian giants.

Prime Minister Modi, who is making his first visit to China since being elected last year, arrived early Thursday in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province and the hometown of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In what is being seen as a gesture of goodwill, President Xi is traveling to Xi'an to welcome Mr. Modi later Thursday. It is unusual for Chinese leaders to meet visiting heads of state outside of the capital, Beijing.

The visit comes months after Mr. Modi hosted Mr. Xi at his hometown of Ahmedabad for a state visit during which both leaders exuded a notable degree of personal warmth, which both sides hope translates into further economic cooperation.

The two leaders are expected during the visit to sign $10 billion in economic deals, according to the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper印度总理莫迪对中国进行国事访问，预计此行将进一步促进这两个亚洲大国之间的外交和经贸关系。

莫迪星期四早上抵达中国陕西省省会西安。陕西是中国国家主席习近平的家乡。去年当选印度总理后，这是莫迪首次访问中国。

星期四晚些时候，习近平前往西安欢迎莫迪，此举被视为善意的表示。中国领导人通常不在首都北京之外的地方会见到访的外国领导人。

几个月前，莫迪在家乡艾哈迈达巴德招待了对印度进行国事访问的习近平，双方在那次访问中突显出对彼此的热情，并希望这种个人之间的友情有助于扩大双边经济合作。

据中国国营媒体《环球时报》报道，预计两国领导人在莫迪访华期间将签署总额为100亿美元的经济协议。