NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in India on Monday for a visit aimed at boosting trade and easing lingering tensions between the two nations.

President Hu's trip is the first by a Chinese leader since a visit by his predecessor Jiang Zemin in 1996, and an indication of improving relations and booming trade between the two countries.

The president smiled and waved as he stepped off an Air China plane at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

He begins talks on trade and the border status of the former foes with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Mumbai and a stop in Agra. He was scheduled to head to Pakistan on Thurs-day.

India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who greeted Mr Hu at the airport, has made clear the importance his country attaches to its ties with China.

“How we manage this relationship will have a tremendous impact on peace and stability in the regional and increasingly the global context,” he told diplomats last week.—AFP