2016年CRI Indian President to Visit China on May 24th（在线收听）

Mukherjee's trip to China follows a state visit to India by Chinese President Xi Jinping 2-years ago.

It also comes a year after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to China last year.

This will be Mukherjee's first trip to China as Indian President.

"I am glad to have this opportunity to respond to his invitation. Because it is our efforts to intensify our relationship and this state visit, interaction with the leaders, having dialogue with the leadership of the country and various prospection's of the people, always enhance the possibilities of cooperation."

Mukherjee is due to start his trip in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou.

Guangzhou has strong business ties with India.

There are around 3-thousand Indian nationals living in Guangzhou.

Bilateral trade between Guangzhou and India hit 20-billion renminbi last year.

As part of his time there, Mukherjee plans to host an India-China Forum to highlight investment opportunities in India.

From Guangzhou, Mukherjee will then travel to Beijing, where he's expected to meet with host Xi Jinping and other top leaders.

His agenda is said to include a mandate to press for more inter-personal exchanges between China and India.

"When these two old civilizations come together and more than often we use to say that if we work together, on the world platform, world will notice and world will appreciate that the 2.5 billion people of these two old civilizational countries have come together, they are working together, that will be the most remarkable thing,".

During his political meetings, Mukherjee is also expected to press for resolutions to a number of long-standing issues between the two countries.

"My visit I do hope will also provide an opportunity to expand and deepen our relations in trade, commerce, investment. We are doing fine but for full potentiality is not yet implemented, exploited, that's why we want to resolve all outstanding issues which will be mutually acceptable."

Mukherjee's time in China will be followed by visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September, who is due to take part in this year's G20 Summit to be held in the city of Hangzhou.