Asian giants seek better ties; China's defense minister in India

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/02/us-india-china-idUSBRE88100X20120902

(Reuters) - A rare visit to India by China's defense minister should help avoid flare-ups along the border between the nuclear-armed Asian giants at a time when Beijing is grappling with a change of leadership and friction in the South China Sea.

But General Liang Guanglie's trip -- the first by a Chinese defense minister in eight years -- also highlights growing competition between the two emerging powers as they jostle for influence and resources across Asia.

Liang is due to arrive in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon after stopping in Sri Lanka, the island nation off the south coast of India that sits on vital ocean trade routes.

There he sought to play down Indian fears that China is threading a "string of pearls" -- or encircling it by financing infrastructure and military strength in neighbors stretching from Pakistan to the Maldives.