Optics as Well as Substance Important as India's Modi Visits China

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in the ancient city of Xian on Thursday at the start of a visit to China, he will be met by Chinese President Xi Jinping, in an unusual departure from normal protocol.
Top Chinese leaders almost never travel outside Beijing to meet senior foreign guests on bilateral visits, and Xi's appearance in Xian, located in Xi's home province of Shaanxi, underscores China's determination to set aside past rancor between the world's two most populous nations, experts said.
"It definitely indicates the significance our president puts on Mr. Modi's visit," said Li Li, an India expert at the government-backed China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.