At 500, largest Chinese group to visit India

A group of 500 Chinese youth left for India on Friday for a 10-day tour as part of a student and youth exchange programme between the two countries. Sutirtho Patranobis reports.

A group of 500 Chinese youth left for India on Friday for a 10-day tour as part of a student and youth exchange programme between the two countries.



The exchange programme began in 2006 but it is for the first time that such a large number of Chinese youth would be visiting India. It is one of the largest youth exchange programmes that India has with any country.

India and China share both a border and a history dating back thousands of years but many, especially the young, from these two highly populated countries are not aware about the people in the neighbouring country. These kinds of exchanges give the youth a chance to get a glimpse of the other country’s culture.

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The Chinese youth, selected from across China by the All Chinese Youth Federation, left in batches from Beijing and Shanghai on Friday.

After converging in New Delhi, they will meet President Pratibha Patil. Subsequently, they will be divided into groups and travel across India; visit places of historical interest and possibly also interact with university students.