Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit India in May in his first official tour abroad after assuming office two months ago.

While newly-elected President Xi Jinping made Russia his first stop last month to show the importance Beijing attached to its relations with Moscow, for his part Li would like to begin his foreign tour by visiting India first in the third week of next month.

From Russia, Xi went to Durban to take part in the BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit, where he had his first meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Proposal for Li’s visit came as a surprise to Indian officials as it is very much unlike the protocol conscious Chinese political set up and it was the turn of Singh to visit Beijing this year to reciprocate the visit of former Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao’s tour to India in December, 2011.

Significantly, a proposal for Singh’s visit to China in later part of June was being considered.

But with Li’s visit, Singh’s trip will be pushed to later in the year.

Li’s forthcoming visit here is seen as a positive step in the relations of two countries.

In the new Chinese Communist party leadership standing, 57-year-old Li holds the rank of number two unlike Wen, who despite being Premier was ranked number three, next to former President Hu Jintao and ex- Chairman of the National Peoples Congress, (NPC), Wu Bangguo.

Li has already spoken to Singh after taking over office keeping up with the diplomatic protocol of keeping the dialogue between the Prime Ministers. Indian Ambassador to China S Jaishankar is already in Delhi and officials from both countries are working to lay the groundwork for the visit of Li.

A visit by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to China may also take place ahead of Li’s visit.