Modi cultivates image as leader the world can do business with

TOKYO - Narendra Modi has done his share of globe-trotting in his first year as India's prime minister. As of April, he had visited 16 countries, from South Asian neighbours to major world powers. All that travel has cemented economic ties and brought home tangible results.

Modi has also hosted a number of high-profile visitors. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other regional leaders attended his inauguration. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama both stopped in India.

New chapter with China

Before Modi marks the one-year anniversary of his premiership later this month, he will make his first state visits to China, Mongolia and South Korea.

In China, Modi will strive for a breakthrough in the two countries' longstanding border dispute. He will also seek to address India's trade deficit with its neighbour and drum up additional investment.

The trip will cap a year in which Modi's diplomacy has paid off in a number of fields, particularly energy, infrastructure and defence.

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