Even as India is on the threshold of electing a new government, neighbouring China sees a huge potential for cooperation between the two countries, especially in economic development, according to Cheng Guang Zhong, minister-counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Delhi.
Mr. Cheng, heading a four-member delegation on a visit to Chennai from May 2 to 4, said China could gain a lot from India’s expertise in the services sector.
“China is much developed in industrial area and is actually facing the problem of overindustrialisation. India is better in the service area. So it is time for China to learn from Indian experience in the services sector and it can provide its experience to India’s industrial development,” he told The Hindu.
He said the Chinese Ambassador would visit Chennai by month-end and one of the purposes was to identify the place for setting up a Chinese Industrial Park, planned when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang exchanged visits last year.
“The Ambassador had already visited Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and a few other States but the place had not been finalised. The specifications of the model of the Park were also not clear” he said.
Mr. Cheng also revealed plans to launch a joint venture project for production of power equipment as there was only one state-owned company in India.
“I was told there is a power crisis” and that bookings made for equipment would have to wait till 2030. “The joint venture project would facilitate manufacture in India itself,” he said, adding it was better than buying equipment directly from China.
Expressing confidence that both India and China had great future in economic cooperation, he said the benefit of cooperation was good not only for revitalisation of the two ancient civilisations in the 21st century but also for the Asian continent as a whole.
“As long as China and India, the two ancient civilisations, can cooperate and join hands, it is good for world peace, development and prosperity,” he stressed.
While India and China were holding talks for cooperation in the Information Technology and Health sectors, the two countries could have broad cooperation in agriculture also, he said..
“We also see a huge potential in the field of infrastructure development and construction, especially in the area of railway, port and road development,” he said.
Asked how China could help India in the agricultural sector, he said China’s agricultural revolution had solved the problem of feeding a 1.3-billion population. The two countries could have cooperation on seeds and high production.
“China is on the way to modernisation of agriculture. Through modernisation we are definitely solving the problems of urbanisation and also creating jobs for farmers,” he said.
