U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor, dubbed "the India whisperer" by Michael Kugelman of the Atlantic Council think tank, arrived in New Delhi in January and has sought to reset ties. Gor is a friend of Trump's and previously a White House adviser.

Less than a week after Xi rolled out the red carpet for Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin arrived to a similar welcome — with telling differences in protocol, priorities and optics that hint at how China manages ties with Washington versus Moscow.