PM Modi begins China visit with Xi’an, new power centre

But sources here told The Indian Express that a key reason behind Modi’s visit to Xi’s home province — Lao Jia (Old house in Mandarin), as the Chinese proudly say — was that leaders from Shaanxi have become a powerful group in China’s top decision-making bodies.

Officials here refer to the emergence of the so-called “Shaanxi group” in the Xi Jinping administration. According to a Brookings report on the who’s who in Beijing’s power establishment, members of this group now comprise a significant part of the top leadership of the party and military. The group accounts for three out of seven seats (43 per cent) in the all-powerful politburo standing committee (PSC), eight out of 25 members (32 per cent) in the politburo, and four out of 11 members (36 per cent) in the central military commission (CMC).

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In fact, three leaders from Shaanxi in the PSC — Xi Jinping (No. 1 in hierarchy), Yu Zhengsheng (No. 4) and Wang Qishan (No. 6) are popularly called the “Iron Triangle” of Chinese politics.

According to the study, Wang is Xi’s point person for the crackdown on corruption, the trial of Bo Xilai, and the slowdown of the Chinese economy. Yu takes charge of matters related to Tibet and Xinjiang province, both of which have been in turmoil. Sources said Modi is keen to make a connect with Xi and this group from Shaanxi who will shape politics and policy-making. Xi has been vocal about his strong ties with Shaanxi.

It was here that his father, communist revolutionary Xi Zhongxun, was born, and where Xi launched his political career. At 16, Xi chose Yanchuan county of Shaanxi’s Yan’an prefecture for his service as a “sent-down youth” in 1969. During the cultural revolution, millions of urban middle-school students were sent to the villages where they worked as farmers during their adolescent years, becoming known as “sent-down youth”. Xi spent almost seven years as a farmer, and after 1974 he served concurrently as the branch party secretary of a village. He has often called that period as a “defining moment” in his life.

“While Xi worked as a farmer, Modi has worked as a tea-seller. That is one more connect they can have, when they will meet in Xi’an,” said an Indian diplomat.

Meanwhile, Xi’an is preparing to host the Indian PM — a first for the ancient city. Banners are being put up around the hotel where he is set to meet Xi on Thursday. Modi is also scheduled to visit the Wild Goose Pagoda and the Terracotta Warriors, important places in China’s history and Buddhist heritage.