Narendra Modi, who will visit China next week for the first time after becoming the Prime Minister, is expected to enthral an audience of about 5,000 Indians in Shanghai on May 16 in what is being seen as his “Madison Square Garden” (MSG) moment in the Communist nation.

The PM will be travelling to China from May 14 to 16 as a part of his three-nation tour to East Asia, the other destinations being Mongolia and South Korea.

Another highlight of Modi’s China visit will be his first stop at President Xi Jinping’s hometown of Xian. Last year, Xi and his wife had first visited Ahmedabad and spent time with Modi on the Sabarmati Riverfront.

The two leaders are also likely to visit together the Wild Goose Pagoda built in the memory of the world-famous Chinese Buddhist monk Xuan Zang (Hiuen Tsang) who travelled across India for 17 years during King Harsha’s era in the 7th century AD and left his travelogues for posterity.

On Monday, addressing a Buddha Poornima event at New Delhi, Modi spoke about how Xuan Zang also visited his village in Mehsana district of Gujarat.

The Chinese President will also host a banquet for Modi in Xian before the latter proceeds to Beijing for formal talks.

According to sources close to the PM, Modi’s MSG-style show on May 16 in Shanghai has generated “terrific” response from Indian professionals and students based in various cities in China.

Modi plans to deliver a speech in Shanghai similar to the one he gave at New York’s Madison Square Garden in September 2014 during his US visit. This will be the first time an Indian leader would attempt such an event in China which, until recent years, had very few Indians.

From across China, there has been enthusiastic response for the PM’s visit being organised by the Indian community there. Indian associations from various cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangdong with large concentration of Indians had sent out notices last month asking their compatriots to register for Modi’s event. “The last date for registration for those who sought to attend was April 29.”

This is also going to be the biggest Indian get-together on Chinese soil. With burgeoning trade links following gradual improvement in relations, the number of Indians in different Chinese cities is now estimated to be around 45,000, including over 13,000 students, while the rest comprises businesspersons working for local and multinational firms.

A week before his visit, Modi, on Monday, debuted on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo , opening an account on the popular microblogging site with over 500 million users to reach out to the Chinese masses. Other global leaders to do so include British Prime Minister David Cameron who, too, had joined Weibo to step up interaction with the Chinese.

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