Ahmedabad

Fifteen MoUs amounting to $590 million were clinched between Gujarat and the Guangdong province of China at The China (Guangdong)—India (Gujarat) Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference 2015, held today.

An 11-member Chinese delegation from the Guangdong province of China is in Gujarat to explore and enhance business connect between September 16 and 17, led by province Governor Zhu Xiaodan where top business persons from both regions will establish a bilateral connect.

The inked deals cover crucial sectors like infrastructure, energy, agriculture, information technology, electronics and pharmaceuticals.

The conference holds significance given the fact that it was organized with an objective to implement the consensus reached during exchange visits by top leaders from India and China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited China in May this year when Gujarat signed the friendly agreement to forge the first sister-province relation agreement. The Chinese President Xi Jinping was in India in September 2014.

“India stands at the intersection of the Silk Road on land and the Maritime Silk Route. Guangdong has also come up with the Implementation Plan for Guangdong’s Participation in the Development of the Belt and Road Initiative. Sixty-eight construction projects have been identified with a total investment volume of $55.4 billion, covering six industries including the infrastructure, energy and resources, agriculture, fishing, manufacturing and service industries. Gujarat boasts of highly developed industries like pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, engineering, automobiles, bio-pharmaceuticals and IT. Guangdong will increase import of advantageous products from Gujarat. Qualified enterprises will be encouraged from Guangdong to participate in construction of SEZ and industrial parks in India. India should also participate in Guangdong’s Pilot Free Trade Zone,” said Governor Zhu Xiaodan, while addressing the conference.

Today’s conference was hosted by the People’s Government of Guangdong Province of China, co-organized by the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province and the Industrial Extension Bureau of Gujarat. The special supporters are the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in India and the Government of Gujarat.

Incidentally, India and China had set a target to achieve a bilateral trade mark of $100 billion by 2015.

Other important sectors to be recceed by the delegation to fortify investment flow mutually include tourism, textiles, gems, jewellery and diamonds, city construction and smart city projects, agro and food processing, ceramics, E-waste and water treatment and skills training among others.

“Gujarat has been unique among Indian states in its treatment of foreign affairs. It accounts for 5% of the Indian population and 9% of the country’s economy. Guangdong is also an industry powerhouse and we share an affinity to forge global collaborations,” said Mr. G.R. Aloria, Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat.

The Governor further said that there was need to expand cooperation in automobile, medical and pharmaceutical and information technology industries and to continuously deepen cooperation in tourism industry. Guangdong is the province in China with the largest number of outbound tourists, which reached 76.6 million person times in 2014. A feasibility of a direct flight route between Guangdong and Ahmedabad is also being looked into actively.

The two-day visit will also elaborately introduce the business environment and policies of Gujarat by representatives from the Gujarat government to the Chinese counterparts with a sharing of experience by Indian and Guangdong enterprises who have already set up base of operations in India and China.

B2B networking opportunities will navigate through scope of collaboration in information and communication technology, pharmaceuticals and infrastructure as well.

– DeshGujarat