On a fence-mending visit to put strained ties back on track, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s coming visit to New Delhi will be a mix of diplomacy, culture and trade, with $20 billion business deals due to be signed.
Heading the biggest-ever delegation of 400 businessmen, Mr Wen will arrive in New Delhi on a three-day visit on Wednesday. His delegation will include senior executives of some top Chinese firms, including telecom giant Huawei, and officials of trade bodies here say the two sides plan to sign deals worth around $20 billion. Discussions are on to constitute a CEOs’ forum on the lines of the India-US CEO forum set up in 2005. Expectations are high that Mr Wen will announce new measures to allow more Indian products into Chinese markets to reduce the trade imbalance.
On the political front, officials expect things to go fairly smoothly following China’s assurance that it would find a way to end issuing of “stapled” visas to residents of Jammu and Kashmir, which led to a furore in India.
The two sides may also discuss resumption of defence exchanges, which got stalled after China refused a visa to Lt. Gen. B.S. Jaswal, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, based in Kashmir.
From India, Mr Wen will fly to Pakistan on Friday for a three-day visit.