Activities Round Up

FISME members got an opportunity to interact with members of a Chinese business delegation from the province of Sichuan in western China in New Delhi on April 13, 2012. The Chinese delegation comprised as many as 20 large, small and medium scale companies from the agriculturally-rich Sichuan province. The delegation’s visit was organised by the India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) and the China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). FISME was a partner organisation at the event held at the India International Centre.

The Chinese companies in the delegation represented textiles and home furnishing, solar energy, welding and incision, hydro and thermal power plant equipment, agricultural equipment, seeds and fertilisers, food and beverages, fire safety equipment, ores and minerals, automobile accessories, pharmaceuticals and healthcare and mobile phone accessories sectors.

In his welcome address at the event, President of the ICEC Mr P.S. Deodhar said that economic ties with China were not merely limited to trade between the two countries but there was also immense scope for cross-border investments through joint ventures in both India and China. He felt that since Sichuan province was very strong in agriculture and agro-industrial products including processed agricultural products, Indian companies may find good opportunities for collaboration in these areas with the Chinese companies represented in the visiting delegation.

Mr Peng Gang, Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of China in India pointed out that at present India’s trade with China accounted for only 2.03% of China’s total trade and felt that there was great potential to increase this share. He also pointed out five reasons as to why China was an ideal destination for foreign investment and enhancement of trade. These were:

·         -Stable political regime

·         -Strong and steady growth of the Chinese economy

·         -Abundant natural resources

·         -Excellent infrastructure, and

·         -Attractive policy environment.

Other speakers at the event included Mr Shi Hong, deputy director, CCPIT Sichuan Council and Mr Weimin Yao, vice-president, Huawei Telecommunications Pvt Ltd. While Mr Hong highlighted the factors why Sichuan province and companies from that region represented good business opportunities for Indian companies, Mr Wei shared his company’s experience in doing business in India. He said there were two key reasons why his company would recommend India to other Chinese companies and these were:

·         - India offered a large and growing market, and

·   - Although there were challenges in doing business in India, there was keenness on both sides to solve all issues that may crop up.

The event was attended by more than 150 business persons and company executives and there was great enthusiasm among participants for interacting one-on-one with the visiting Chinese delegates. The interactive B2B session went on for nearly 2 hours and saw all tables fully occupied with businesspersons from both sides discussing possible deals.