Update | Xi Jinping's hometown Xian is Modi's first stop on road to building trust with China
Reciprocal visit to Xi's hometown highlights personal rapport between the two leaders
President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for contentious issues between Beijing and New Delhi to be contained, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his three-day visit to China in the ancient city of Xian.
As part of a trip aimed at winning trust and investment from China, Modi chose Xi's hometown of Xian in Shaanxi province - rather than Beijing - as his first stop, a diplomatic gesture to highlight the close personal rapport between the two leaders.
We must work together to increase trust between our two countries
But Xi and Modi face challenges. While India and China need to cooperate, they have also been troubled by territorial disputes that have often led to military stand-offs along their shared border. In his talks with Xi yesterday, Modi raised concerns over China's recent pledge to boost investment in Pakistan, India's NDTV reported.
Xi called on the two nations to expand cooperation, and take a long-term approach to their relationship.
"We must work together to increase trust between our two countries, and rein in our disputes and problems to prevent them from affecting the relations between our two countries," Xi was quoted by Xinhua as saying in his meeting with Modi.
The president added that the two nations should "strengthen strategic cooperation in global and regional affairs" and "strive to promote a fairer and more reasonable international order".
