Barack Obama will attempt a balancing act between Asia’s emerging powers this week as the Prime Minister of India begins a state visit to the US days after the President returned from China.

Manmohan Singh and his wife, Gursharan Kaur, arrived in Washington last night to begin the first full state visit of Mr Obama’s Presidency, complete with a 21-gun salute and a black-tie dinner at the White House tomorrow.

An invitation to the dinner is said to be the hottest ticket in Washington this week, with much speculation over the 400-strong guest list, the menu and the entertainment. Dr Singh will hold talks with Mr Obama before the dinner and meet Cabinet members, senators, academics, business leaders and members of the Indian community during the four-day visit.

Officials from both countries say the event will take relations “to the next level” — building on a strategic partnership forged under the Bush Administration between the world’s largest democracy and its most powerful one.

Relations between the two were frosty during the Cold War but thawed rapidly in recent years. The signing of a nuclear deal last year lifted a 34-year ban on India buying US nuclear fuel and technology.

President Obama now wants to broaden the relationship to encompass global issues including security, trade, climate change, education and technology, where the two nations share common interests.

“India is a rising global power,” Robert Blake, the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, said last week. “We think India has an increasingly significant role to play on virtually all the major challenges that we face in this century.”

Mr Obama will be anxious, however, not to compound Chinese fears that the new US-India relationship is designed to contain or counter-balance Beijing.

Mr Obama must also be wary not to antagonise Pakistan, India’s historic enemy, but a key US ally in the fight against the Taleban and al-Qaeda. The President must, therefore, tread carefully around issues such as the disputed region of Kashmir, the contested border between India and China and Indian involvement in Afghanistan.

Dr Singh is eager to deepen relations, but wants to see evidence that Mr Obama shares his predecessor’s commitment. In particular, he is hoping Mr Obama will declare his support for India’s quest for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. He also wants continued US support for India’s demand that Pakistan tackle the militants blamed for the attack on Mumbai a year ago this week.