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‘Economics over border’ says Chinese Ambassador
December 22, 2013, 5:31 am

Commenting on the growing clout of the two biggest economies of the BRICS, Singh (left) had said, “When India and China shake hands, the world notices.”

Commenting on the growing clout of the two biggest economies of the BRICS, Singh (left) had said, “When India and China shake hands, the world notices.”

China will emphasize on strengthening economic ties with India said the Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei on Saturday while urging Indian and Chinese industrialists to invest in the two countries.

“While we pay attention to our border disputes, we must pay more attention to people-to-people contact and improving relations. Land disputes are flagging problems. We must give more attention to economic and cultural relations,” Wei said.

Wei was inaugurating a three-day China trade fair on Chinese investment in the capital city of the central Indian state Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

“If a Chinese Industrial Park on the lines of Chinese model is set up, Chinese industrialists will be motivated to invest in the country,” he said.

Industrial parks could boost jobs for the rural economy in India, urged Wei underlining that Beijing is looking to boost trade and investment ties with New Delhi.

“China has borders with 14 countries of which we attach great importance to our relationship with Russia and India,” he said.

The launch on Saturday was attended by Chinese Ambassador to India Wei Wei, President of India-China Economic and Cultural Council P.S. Devdhar and over 150 representatives of various Chinese industries.

The Chinese Ambassador said the recent exchange of high-level visits including that of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have cemented ties between the two Asian neighbors.

Commenting on the growing clout of the two biggest economies of the BRICS, Singh had said, “When India and China shake hands, the world notices.”

Wei pointed out that bilateral trade between China and India last year was worth $66 billion, urging that there was an immediate need to expand economic activities and remove trade imbalance.

“Our collective population is 2.5 billion, yet we have as much trade with Singapore that has a population of five million,” he said.

The two countries have fixed a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2015.

China and India have also formed an intergovernmental body with Bangladesh and Myanmar for the BCIM economic corridor this week.

China is keen on developing an ‘international highway’ that will connect both countries to China’s Yunnan province and end in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata through Bangladesh.

China and India also held joint anti-terror drill in southwest China’s Sichuan Province this November.

TBP and Agencies