New Delhi, May 24 (IANS): President Pratibha Patil leaves on a six-day state visit to China Wednesday, during which she will also visit the Shanghai World Expo where the Indian pavilion has been a major draw.
Patil, who will be joined by a 60-member business delegation comprising members of all the three apex chambers of India, will also visit capital Beijing and Luoyang in the country's Henan province, officials said.
The country has 22 provinces, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.
Patil, who will be the first Indian head of state to visit China in 10 years, will meet top Chinese leaders, including National People's Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao, the officials added.
Another highlight of her visit will be in Luoyang, where she is scheduled to dedicate to the Chinese people an Indian-style Buddhist temple that was inspired by the Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh.
The idea of the temple was proposed by the Chinese in 2003 when then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Luoyang. He promptly accepted the idea, realising the importance of a Buddhist shrine as a means for people-to-people contact.
The Indian style temple is adjacent to the White Horse Temple (Baima Si) built in the first century A.D. in honour of two Indian monks who travelled on horseback, carrying with them religious texts and an image of the Buddha.
Patil is also scheduled to visit the White Horse Temple.
The president's visit comes at a time when China has become India's largest trading partner. Bilateral trade between the two countries grew 34 percent in 2008 to touch $51.8 billion, though in 2009 it slipped to $43.27 billion.
Businesses of both sides are seeking greater market access; the Chinese particularly want easier access to the Indian telecom equipment market - a matter on which the Indian security forces are uncomfortable for strategic reasons.
The Indian delegation that is joining the president is represented by companies in areas such as steel, automobiles, energy, telecom, software, financial services, drugs and pharmaceuticals, education, packaging and infrastructure.
At the Shanghai World Expo, a six-month event that kicked off April 30, Patil will visit the India pavilion that has become a hot spot with 25,000 visitors every day thronging the stalls of handicrafts and cuisine, and jiving on Bollywood songs and dance.