NEW DELHI  Kicking off a three-day tour of India on Wednesday, the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, encouraged the two countries to partner, not compete, as the world’s balance of power tilts toward Asia.

“There is enough space in the world for the development of both China and India, and enough areas for us both to cooperate,” Mr. Wen said in a speech to hundreds of executives from both countries.

“The 21st century is the Asian century,” he said. “It is also the century in which China and India can make great achievements.”

Mr. Wen is on his first visit to India in more than five years, and his agenda is heavily weighted toward strengthening business ties, in a bid to improve the weak economic relationship between the world’s two most populous nations. Despite China’s vast treasury and India’s need for financing and infrastructure, China’s investment in India has been minuscule compared to that of the United States and Britain.