Curries, kebabs and spicy specialsNie Xin

Indian cuisine enjoys popular-ity the world over. Whatever corner of the globe you go to, you will find fine restaurants

offering delicious Indian food — and Shanghai is no exception.

Most Indian dishes are made with distinct spices such as turmeric, cumin, cardamom and chilies. Like Chinese ingredients, many Indian spices have great medicinal value.

Hindu beliefs and culture have also played an influential role in the evolution of Indian cuisine. Here are some of the most popular places in Shanghai to enjoy authen-tic Indian cuisine.

Bukhara

1994, Tandoor was the first Indian restaurant in Shanghai and has spawned a successful chain across China. A host of authentic offer-ings are available, from mild to spicy.

The murgh malai kebab is strongly recommended to start. The flavor of the cheese and coriander marinade is seared into the tender chicken at temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius in the tandoor oven.

For spice lovers, the beef madras has an impressive balance of sour, spicy and fruitiness, while the Navrattan korma uses nine vegetable ingredients and neutral-izes your palate with a delicate mix of yoghurt, cream and nut paste in its korma sauce.Address: 59 Maoming Rd S.

Tel: 6472-5494

Opening hours: 11:30am-10:30pm

Veg platter

Taj green dish

Palak paneer

Rich

creamy

curry

Situated in a lavish three-story building on Hongmei Road, stone walls, warm lighting, an open kitchen and a wide variety of Indian dishes all add to Bukhara’s allure.

Named after an ancient Middle Asian city on the Silk Road, the ancient trading highway that linked the Middle East to Indian and China, Bukhara offers delicious and authentic northwestern Indian cuisine.

Recommended dishes include the non-veg platter (an assort-ment of non-vegetarian kebabs), the veg platter (an assortment of vegetarian kebabs) and Tandoori chicken (spring chicken marinated in Indian spices and grilled).Address: 3729 Hongmei Rd

Tel: 6446-8800

Opening hours: 11am-11pm

Grand TajWith a successful branch in

Shenzhen in Guangdong Province for 10 years, Grand Taj opened their Shanghai restaurant last year to similar acclaim and it has already become renowned in the city for its authentic Indian food.

Grand Taj offers a large variety

of delicious dishes from their ap-petizing naan bread to their famous butter chicken, which comprises of boneless tandoori chicken cooked with tomatoes, ground almonds and spices in a smooth gravy finished with cream.

Plenty of other dishes that are highly recommended include veg-etable samosa, Tandoori chicken, rasam soup, prawn coconut curry, vegetable biryani and dosa.Address: Unit B5, 555 Gubei Rd

Tel: 3251-7585

Opening hours: 11:30am-10:30pm

Kebabs on the Grille Located at the Cool Docks in the

South Bund area, this restaurant offers mouthwatering dishes that take their influences from North

India and as the name suggests kebabs feature heavily and are grilled right in front of you.

Star dishes include the samosas and the samosa chat — mashed-up samosas sprinkled liberally with spices. All their curries are served in very tiny bowls and are super tasty, especially the chicken tandoori curry with tender boneless chicken in a rich creamy curry.

Their fresh coconut drink served in a large coconut shell is perfect for cooling the palate after trying some of their spicy dishes.Address: 505 Zhongshan Rd S.

Tel: 6152-6567

Opening hours: 11:30am-10:30pm

TandoorOpened at the Jinjiang Hotel in

DINING

Shanghai Daily Monday 15 August 2011

INDIA SPECIAL B3www.shanghaidaily.com

The Delhi-Agra-Jaipur tour circuit is also known as the Golden Triangle Tour India. You can get a glimpse of the whole of India

by visiting these three important histori-cal cities, which each boast rich cultural heritage.

Delhi: The Immortal City

Modern India’s history is synonymous with Delhi. It was from the ramparts of its Red Fort that India’s first prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, unfurled the national flag on August 15, 1947, signifying the end of British rule.

Today, as India’s capital and the seat of its parliament, New Delhi hosts world leaders, diplomats, international missions, sports meetings, cultural festivals and conferences.

Delhi, a major point of entry for foreign travelers to India, boasts a tourism infra-structure which compares with the best in the world — international hotels with extensive facilities, gourmet restaurants, air-conditioned limousines, luxury coaches, bargain shopping, ethnic entertainment and convenient connections by rail and air.

Delhi presents a vast panorama of fascinating images. It is a city where forts, tombs and ruins share the skyline with high-rise buildings and stately homes.

The wide tree-lined avenues of New Delhi give way to the crowded narrow lanes

of Old Delhi and along with this change comes a diametrically different culture and lifestyle. The presence of contrasts is a historical legacy of the city.

Delhi is a marvellous mix of people and traditions, where museums and cultural centers offer the finest exhibits, art and the best performances from around the country. Delhi’s fascinating bazaars and markets spill over with the finest that India has to offer — handicrafts, garments, fabrics and jewelry — making shopping a special delight.

A major gateway into India, Delhi is a metropolitan city in the true sense of the word.

It has for centuries attracted rulers, invaders, businessmen, builders, poets, painters and intellectuals from many parts of the world. Today’s Delhi encloses many older cities — its stone walls have seen many empires rise and fall.

Agra: Royal City of the Taj Mahal

Agra, in terms of ambience, is still as-sociated with its Mughal period, as visitors walk down the narrow bustling streets. The majority of the buildings in the more modern areas of the town, such as the cantonment, date back over 100 years.

The Taj Mahal, which is essentially one man’s monumental testimony to love, has become synonymous not only with this city

but with India as a whole.Agra, with its laid-back lifestyle and its

immense wealth of architecture, handicrafts and jewelry, is among the most remarkable cities in the world.

Approaching Agra from Delhi, one passes through the religious cities of Mathura and Vrindava, celebrated in Indian lore and legends.

The road from Agra to Jaipur includes Bharatpur and Deeg in its circuit, while the one heading east offers Gwalior and the exquisite temples of Khajuraho as major tourist attractions.

Jaipur: The Pink City

The origins of the beautiful city of Jaipur can be traced back to the 18th century, dur-ing the reign of Jai Singh II who ascended the Amber Throne in 1699.

He abandoned the rugged hills of Amber in 1727 and set about laying a perfect palace-city in the adjoining plains. It is this city that became the capital of the post-independence state of Rajasthan.

For long called the Pink City because of the extensive usage of the locally abun-dant pink stone, Jaipur has massive forts, magnificent palaces, exquisite temples and marvelous gardens.

All through, Jaipur has retained its strong Rajputana flavor tempered by several influences — the Mughal being the most

prominent. The region’s strong cultural heritage is distinctly evident even today.

The city is a visitor’s delight. Jaipur’s signature building is Hawa Mahal, a multi-layered palace with a profusion of windows and stone screens.

Jantar Mantar is a stone observatory raised in the 18th century by an astronomer-king. The City Palace was the principal residence of the former ruling family, and is known for its stunning architecture. It also houses a museum.

Jaipur is also home to exquisite handi-crafts, beautiful textiles, delicate jewelry and precious gems and stones.

Busy streets and colorful markets show-case much of Jaipur’s vibrancy and charm. Together, these images constitute a city of immense variety and interest for today’s traveler.

Heading out of the city is Jal Mahal, a former hunting lodge. The experience of visiting Amer Palace is one that cannot be easily described.

You ride up on elephants to the former capital of the royals. Overlooking Amer are two fortresses, Jaigarh and Nahargarh, both full of history of the state’s martial past.

The newly built Birla Mandir is a unique monument with exquisite marble carvings. For best effect, see it on a moonlit night.

The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and India Tourism Develop-ment Corporation operate half-day, full-day and evening tours at very reasonable prices.

Golden triangle enchants tourists

Shanghai DailyMonday 15 August 2011

B4 INDIA SPECIAL www.shanghaidaily.com

An intriguing insight into Indian life

Wang Xiaojie (left) poses with bride and her friends when

attending a traditional Indian wedding.

Wang Xiaojie

Eight years ago, in pursuit of an international educa-tion, I found myself in India. Divided from China

by the Himalayas, India is a place that sounds so familiar to us, yet we know so little about other than a few old Hindi songs and the acknowl-edgement that it has a booming IT industry.

I still remember the first night I arrived in Mumbai: waiting in the burning heat of the airport lacking air-conditioning, getting lost in the monsoon-washed parking lot, surviving the five-hour bumpy ride up the hills near Pune — it was not an easy start, but by the end of my two years spent in India, I realized how fascinating the country is. The richness of its culture, the amount of energy and aspirations, and even the way it functions despite a poorly organized environment. It’s a place one takes time to discover, to understand and to appreciate.

I knew I had more to learn there. After completion of my university degree in the United States, I decid-ed to return to India, to the nation that had once sparked a spectrum of emotions in me. This time, living in the country’s most cosmopolitan city — Mumbai, working at one of

the largest Indian industrial houses — the Mahindra Group, and travel-ing across the country has benefited me a truly Indian experience.

Nothing tells a better story of the ancient times than a historical site. Amer Fort, one of the major tourist attractions of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, was built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I. It is often known as “Amer Palace” as a palace complex with red sandstone and marble is laid out within its walls.

This fort is well connected with the Jaigarh Fort, located above the same range of hills, by a subter-ranean passage. The passage was meant as an escape route in times of war. Climbing up the fort, embrac-ing the breeze from all directions and overlooking the surrounding mountains and rivers, I could not help thinking of the Great Wall. It strikes me how these two iconic heritage sites exert such similar spirits of power, ambition and vision.

An experience one cannot miss in India is to attend an Indian wed-ding. Indian weddings are known for being elaborate, large in scale and long in duration. Given the diverse nature of India, wedding traditions vary across religion, region, community and family.

I had the fortune to attend a north

Indian wedding with a south Indian touch. The baarat where the groom arrives on a horse with all his relatives dancing, the bridal wear lehenga and the wedding rituals with the pandit (priest) were strong indicators of north Indian tradition, while an important south Indian element was when the groom tied the taali (a yellow piece of thread) around the bride’s neck.

Interestingly, there are a lot of similarities between Indian and

Chinese marriage culture such as the emphasis on family involve-ment, the importance of choosing an auspicious wedding date, and even the small traditional practices such as hiding shoes in exchange for money at the wedding (except that the Chinese hide the bride’s shoes while the Indians hide the groom’s shoes).

Mumbai, at first sight, appears to be rather chaotic and disorganized. On one hand, one gets frustrated

by the endless traffic and poor infrastructure; on the other hand, one enjoys the vibrant social life, the culture of a true melting pot, and how things magically work out despite all the complications — it is a land of contradictions. Home to numerous domestic industrial houses, multinational companies and Bollywood, it attracts the best educated people, the most innova-tive ideas and investments from all over the world — it is a land of opportunity. It did not take long before I started immersing myself to become part of it, and finding it difficult not to fall in love with such a human, tolerant and aspiring city.

Although still a relatively poor country, India does not lack a number of world-class local-born corporates. Fluency in English, long-term vision, open mindset and creativity have helped many Indian entrepreneurs and managers rise on both domestic and international stages.

A unique blend of tradition, multi-ethnicity, and modern devel-opment, India is truly a country of intriguing qualities and calls for a better and deeper understanding from its neighbor acrossthe Himalayas.

Your key to global banking

With over 150 overseas offices across 32 countries and regions, and more than 13,500 branches in India, State Bank of India gives you access to global markets. State-of-the–art technology combined with true Indian warmth, State Bank of India offers you a suite of products and services that will meet all your banking needs. When you bank with us, we are with you all the way, around the world.

State Bank of India, the largest Bank in India with a global network, started operations in Shanghai as a Rep Office in 1997. On 20th April, 2006 the Rep Office was upgraded to a full-fledged Branch and SBI became the 1st Indian bank to start commercial operations in China.

After successfully completing profitable operations of 3 years, the SBI was accorded approval by CBRC to start operations in RMB which commenced on 15th March 2010. With effect from 29th November 2010, the bank has become a member of Shanghai Local Clearing.

SBI Shanghai has been working as an important bridge for financial intermedia-tion between India and China, facilitating growth in bilateral trade and Indian investments in China. It also provides a window to corporate customers from India for exploring and putting up investments in China, and vice versa. The bank has facilitated successful investment projects of many Indian companies in China, providing financial assistance by way of loans, and by handling / routing of their export / import transactions. Indian companies setting up Rep Offices / branches in China have also been freely benefitting from our experi-ence in the field. The bank provides loans & advances including Project Loans, Syndicated Loans, Working Capital Loans, Term Loans, Trade Finance, Buyers’ Credit as also various services such as issuance/ advising/ confirmation of Letter of Credits, issuance of Bank Guarantees etc. Presently, the branch is providing its financial services to more than 250 Chinese companies. After commencement of RMB business, it has been catering to the local currency needs of a large number of Indian / Chinese companies.

The bank is also extending inward and outward remittance facility for individuals as well as Corporate/ Institutions and deposit account facility for Non Resident Indians (NRIs) .

SBI has also been actively associated with different official / non-official fora for promoting and strengthening bilateral economic relations between India and China.

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Our Offices in People’s Republic of ChinaHONG KONG BRANCH 15th FLOOR,CENTRAL TOWER,28 QUEEN’S ROAD CENTRALHONG KONG TEL:0852-25233166 FAX:0852-28681966

SHANGHAI BRANCH 4201,4205,4206 K.Wah Center,1010 Huai Hai Zhong Road,Shanghai 200031Tel:0086-21-54043331,54034814,54035452Fax:0086-21-54051025/54041803Website:www.sbishanghai.com.cnE mail:vpops.shanghai@statebank.comvpcredit.shanghai@statebank.com

Shanghai Daily Monday 15 August 2011

INDIA SPECIAL B5www.shanghaidaily.com

As neighboring countries, the inevitable

relationship between Chinese and

Indian business is getting closer and

strengthening Asia’s might. Nazia

Vasi looks at how some Indians are

embracing Chinese language and

culture to help boost these links.

Close ties herald

As bilateral trade between India and China balloons to the projected US$100 billion by 2015, Indian companies and their

executives are gearing themselves up for the “Asian Century.” Arming themselves with the right language and China knowledge is considered pivotal in a world where unusual talent trumps being run of the mill.

Take Aditya Sharma for example, a young banker who decided to invest every Satur-day afternoon at Inchin Closer’s Beginners Mandarin classes, learning Mandarin from a native speaker, so that he could gain better international job opportunities. Or Neha Sehgal, a strategy analyst at a top 500 company, who regularly liaisons with her Chinese counterparts on projects and who sends text messages to her husband in Mandarin so the two can practice the tongue they are learning together.

Slowly gaining ground in rapidly modern-izing Indian cities, Mandarin is seen by Indian professionals, traders, investment bankers and corporate honchos as the lan-guage of the future. With the American and European markets tanking, Mandarin and her four tones is a tune every aspiring Indian wants to sing to.

Already taught in some major Indian universities mostly in diplomatic Delhi and chaotic Kolkata, Mandarin is sought by students and professionals alike. Seen as the key to doing business with China, the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai has also recently decided to catch the Orient express.

In a tie-up with Beijing Jiao Tong Univer-sity, Mumbai’s premier technology university will host a Mandarin teacher for one year at their Powai campus.

Whether it’s for business or pleasure, Indians are picking up Mandarin as they recognize the sheer potential in speaking the language of their largest neighbor and trad-ing partner. Language institutes on their part are simplifying and localizing Mandarin for Indians.

“We teach pinyin phonetics via Hindi, India’s national language,” explains Royce Wen, a teacher at one of India’s premier language institutes, who has lived in the country for more than two years. Hindi is a phonetic language and teaching Mandarin basics through Hindi, which every Indian is familiar with, makes Mandarin less daunting to learn and eases students into the language.

Wen’s Mandarin language institute has grown 300 percent year on year. Starting with only one class in South Mumbai at the beginning of this year, she now runs three classes of 20 students each acrossthe metropolis.

As trade between India and China grows, tourist travel between the two countries has also soared. An increasing number of flights between varied Indian and major Chinese cities are leading to a mounting number of businessmen and tourists zipping across the Himalayas to check out their neighbor. Whether, it’s for a trade show, a pilgrimage to Bodhgaya, a cruise down the Yangtze River, a meeting in Mumbai or a hop into Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, travel between the two countries has grown by leaps and bounds.

“A majority of Chinese traffic is to the major Indian cities, such as New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. It’s mostly business-men and engineers that come for a short duration to visit their offices or scout for business opportunities in India,” says Rhea Nanavati, a travel agent in New Delhi.

Similarly, a majority of the passenger traffic from India to China is businessmen seeking corporate liaisons or sourcing goods from China. While flights are full to capac-ity during the Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair), a healthy flow of Indian businessmen continue to fly to major Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing throughout the year, adds Nanavati, who has also seen an uptrend in adventurous Indian tourists visiting Chinese scenic spots such as Hangzhou, Kunming and Qingdao of late.

Language and bilateral tourism have boomed between India and China on the back of towering trade and commerce. The varying numbers of Chinese companies that have set up office in India and vice versa are also telltale signs of the growing warmth between the two neighbors. While iron ore, chemicals, telecom and power equipment remain the incumbent industries of India-China bilateral trade, a varying number of industries are making their mark in each other’s markets.

From fashion brands and technology to sporting apparel and banks, diamonds and soft skills to pharmaceutical conglomerates and renewable energy collaborations, real-izing the potential of each other’s markets, Indian and Chinese companies are keen to sell to one another, court consumers and flood markets with goods and services.

Going ahead, new age industries, in-creased collaborations, symbiotic synergies and people-propelled progress will ride India-China relations to a new high. Lan-guage will fortify the ties culture has bound the two countries by and trade and tourism will cement trust between neighbors.

Nazia Vasi is CEO and founder of Inchin Closer, a premier India-China language and

cultural consultancy.

‘Asian Century’

A student from Tagore International School from New Delhi helps her peer for the

headdress, while a student from Jinyuan High School looks on before a performance

to commemorate 150th anniversary of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore’s birth

in May. Cultural exchange has boomed between India and China on the back of

towering trade and commerce. — Wang Ceng

Shanghai DailyMonday 15 August 2011

B6 INDIA SPECIAL www.shanghaidaily.com

Why China is the ideal partnerWang Yanlin

E. B. Rajesh, chief representative of the Confederation of Indian Industry in China, is glad

that he chose to come to China against his initial concerns about language, food, culture and various others factors.

“India and China are the fastest-moving emerging markets, I am involved in both of them, isn’t that wonderful?” Rajesh said with a big smile.

The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization that works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India. With a 116-year history, the confederation is India’s premier business associa-tion which has more than 8,100 direct company members, and an indirect membership of more than 90,000 in both manufacturing and service sectors.

Established in 2003, the confederation’s Shanghai office is the only Indian business associa-tion present in China so far. It is because among the 200-plus Indian companies investing in China, al-most 60 percent are located in the eastern areas with Shanghai poised center stage. With the expanding bilateral business communications, the demand for greater presence of the confederation has emerged.

“Although we have no concrete plan right now to launch more offices, it seems we need to take it into consideration,” Rajesh said.

During the past eight years, emphasis of the confederation’s job in China has changed rapidly. In the early days, what it did most was to organize seminars and meet-ings to introduce China to Indian investors and tell them the possible opportunities. Today, there is less need for such inculcation. The most important part of Rajesh’s job now is to help Indian companies settle in China with his knowledge about the proper procedure and help them overcome the initial difficulties. CII also helps the Chinese companies interested to do business with India in linking to the relevant Indian partners.

Many big Indian firms have taken root in China. State Bank of India, the largest Indian bank, upgraded its representative office in Shanghai to a full-fledged branch in 2006 and became the first Indian bank to start com-mercial operations in China. Infosys, a global leader in informa-tion technology, has made huge investment in Shanghai. Sterlite Technologies, a leading global provider of transmission solutions for the power and telecom indus-tries, aims to “connect every home on the planet,” and companies such as Wipro and TCS have all carried out new expansion plans in China.

Last year, Indian President Prat-ibha Patil had a five-day official visit to China. The trip coincided with the 60th anniversary of the es-tablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Wan Guanghua, an economist

at the Asian Development Bank, said at a Shanghai forum hosted by Fudan University in May that the India-China relationship will be-come the most important bilateral relationship in the near future. It is because the combined population of the two countries amounts to one-third of the world’s total, he said. Wan’s judgment is arguable, but no doubt a good relationship is important to both countries, and to the world as well.

After the two ancient civilizations returned to the growth track and were dubbed as the two most prom-ising among the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Af-rica) nations, a closer cooperation in business may accelerate that growth process and benefit both countries. As emerging markets, they share a lot of interests in common.

Shanghai Daily: India and China are among the most reported emerging markets in recent years. Many media reports love to com-pare these two countries and make them look like rivals. What’s your opinion about the business relation-ship between India and China?

Rajesh: If you ask me whether we are competitors or partners, I would say we are both. In some areas, cooperation is the main-stream. In some others, there is competition. And in most cases, co-operation and competition interact.

The most obvious area for partnership is the infrastructure. China can help India a lot in build-ing roads, railways, harbors and airports. And in information tech-nology and software where India can contribute, China is able to get added value through cooperation.

For being competitors, I want to say it is not a bad thing, as long as it is healthy competition that provides equal opportunities and can get the

best out of both countries.For example, India and China

are growing markets that need a lot of natural resources, be it iron ore, cotton, oil or gas. We both go to Africa and other places for sourc-ing. Competition in such an area encourages us to think more on how to create new ways to mini-mize the usage of natural resources or to reduce energy consumption. That’s why green technology is growing fast in both countries.

Sometimes, cooperation and competition are interwoven, just taking place in different parts of the same value chain. As big producers of agricultural products, both India and China are compet-ing in the food processing industry. However, China still needs to import some food from India to complement its stockpile. And India requires a better infrastruc-ture and better cold storage system that China can help with, to extend the shelf life of its products.

Shanghai Daily: Can you introduce briefly the role of the

Confederation of Indian Industry?

Rajesh: As the premier business organization, we mainly represent Indian industries and get their views to the government for taking necessary policy decisions. In India, our membership covers major companies from different sectors which contribute a lot to India’s economic output.

In China, we established our Shanghai office in 2003 when real Indian investment took place. India and China are long-time trade partners, but there was limited investment here a decade ago. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization and we felt it necessary to have a forward-look-ing and long-term engagement with China. We help guide and promote Indian businesses in China and get investment, and vice versa.

Just last month, we held semi-nars in four Indian cities, with the presence of some Chinese officials, to give an updated picture of China among the Indian businesses. We also established the India Busi-ness Forum in April 2009. It is a

platform to raise awareness among Chinese firms about the capabilities and value offered by Indian com-panies, discussing and addressing challenges faced by Indian compa-nies in China.

Shanghai Daily: What about Indian businesses’ sentiment over investing in China at the moment?

Rajesh: Although China’s economy has shown signs of mod-eration, I think it’s a temporary dip because basics in China are quite solid. Also, we have to separate in-dustries. In areas like information technology and software where India has strength, the growth momentum is less disturbed by the slowing economy.

Besides, you have to consider what destinations your investment can go to outside of China. The United States? Europe? Possibly not. Other markets like Latin America and Africa are just in a nascent stage compared with China. Thus the answer is quite clear.

Shanghai Daily: China has become increasingly a source of outbound foreign investment. Are there any potential areas in India that may attract Chinese investors?

Rajesh: Yes. As I mentioned earlier, China is very experienced in infrastructure, and it can help India build up roads, railways, harbors and airports that India urgently needs.

China has been focusing more on trade than investment. Bilateral trade between India and China amounted to nearly US$62 billion last year, with China exporting US$41 billion to India and import-ing US$21 billion. You can see a huge trade surplus here. In the past couple of years, Chinese invest-ment in India has started to grow.

The Confederation of Indian Industry delegation with Indian President Pratibha Patil (center), Subodh Kant Sahai (left), minister for Food

Processing Industries of India, and Dr S. Jaishankar (right), Indian ambassador to China, in Shanghai in this May 2010 file photo.

Mobile cranes prepare to stack containers at Thar Dry Port in Sanand

in the western Indian state of Gujarat. India’s exports surged to record

high growth of 37.6 percent in the fiscal year 2010/11, as demand

soared for engineering goods, oil products and gems. — Reuters

Shanghai Daily Monday 15 August 2011

INDIA SPECIAL B7www.shanghaidaily.com

Populous nations progress together

As the two most populous countries in the world, China and India have several things in

common — including current growth. Yao Minji speaks to the consul general of India in

Shanghai to find out more about business relations between the two massive Asian nations.

This year is the 150th anniver-sary of Rabindranath Tagore’s birth. An exhibition illustrates the great poet’s three visits to China in 1924 and 1929 with more than 120 pictures.

150th

US$61.74b

120About 120 Indian companies

and financial institutions are now based in the eastern China re-gion. About 10 Indian companies have also set up manufacturing units in the region.

Indiaby the numbers

In 2010, the Sino-Indian total trade stood at US$61.74 billion, recording an increase of more than 42 percent from a year earlier.

US$1 trillionIndia’s infrastructure sector is

likely to open up US$1 trillion of opportunities for global investors over the next five years.

SUPPLEMENT

B8

Monday 15 August 2011 www.shanghaidaily.com

An exhibition about the Chinese trips of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the first Asian recipient of the Nobel Prize

for Literature, is currently touring India. Launched in July in New Delhi, the exhibi-tion will have its final showing in Shanghai after finishing the Indian tour.

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Tagore’s birth, the exhibition illustrates the great poet’s three visits to China in 1924 and 1929 with more than 120 pictures.

Tagore has always played a significant role in terms of cultural exchange in the growing relations between the two most populous countries in the world, which reached its 61st year this April. It is also the year of the India-China Exchange, as declared by leaders from the two nations when Premier Wen Jiabao visited India last December.

“We have had a very active and spec-tacular year in 2010, especially due to the success of World Expo 2010 Shanghai. The India Pavilion received 5.39 million visitors and we had a variety of activities including food festivals, art performances, exhibitions, film festivals, among many more, all over the country,” says Riva Ganguly Das, consul general of India in Shanghai.

“And in 2011, we expect our bilateral rela-tions to strengthen further. I hope that this year will be as active as last year.”

In 2010, the Sino-Indian total trade went far beyond the target of US$60 billion and stood at US$61.74 billion, recording an increase of more than 42 percent from a year earlier. More than one-third of this, a value of US$21.469 billion and up by 42.38 percent from 2009, has been made in the eastern China region comprising of Shang-hai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces that the Shanghai office covers.

As for this year, a number of visits, includ-ing business delegations representing the auto component sector and pharmaceuticals, have already taken place, with many more to come. A high-level IT delegation is next on the schedule.

The most updated bilateral trade value, for January to May this year, stood at US$29.63 billion, up 17 percent from the same period in 2010. It also indicates an increase of the trade value at the end of the year.

“We hope that trade will increase, and we will be able to both diversify our export basket and export more value-added prod-ucts to China. At present, iron ore, cotton and fabric, copper and organic chemicals dominate the Indian export basket. We are a leading exporter of diamonds to China, and the gem and jewelry sector is one we hope to develop in the future,” says the consul general.

Currently, about 120 Indian companies and financial institutions are based in the eastern China region, covering a diversity of sectors including IT, IT training, busi-ness process outsourcing, engineering, automobile and auto ancillaries, chemical

and pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, tex-tiles, shipping and logistics, and tea and beverages.

About 10 Indian companies have also set up manufacturing units in the region, with six Indian banks, and four public sector undertakings including Air India present in Shanghai. Air India operates four weekly flights from Shanghai to Delhi and Mumbai.

A large number of Indian trading firms are also based in the region and involved in sourcing raw material and semi-finished products from China.

The consul general especially looks forward to the future development of India’s pharmaceuticals sector in China and particularly in this region. Currently, India produces more than 20 percent of the world’s generics.

“We feel we can bring a lot to China’s pharmaceutical sector thanks to our breadth of experience in the field and strong brand presence. Similarly for engineering goods, we can offer top quality products at competi-tive prices. In the IT sphere, it goes without

saying that India is the recognized global leader. Indian IT services can give Chinese companies an edge in the global market,” she explains.

“We want to develop a stronger presence in all these sectors, but we do have certain market access concerns. We will continue to undertake efforts to brand India in this region so that there is better appreciation of the trade and commercial opportunities that India offers.”

She also suggests Indian companies, who wish to explore the Chinese market, to pay attention to attractive incentives in different Chinese cities.

And for Chinese companies interested in extending to India, she advises that they should seize the growing opportunities avail-able there.

“India’s infrastructure sector is likely to open up US$1 trillion of opportunities for global investors over the next five years. This means numerous opportunities for Chinese companies, especially those in construction and related areas. We are very encouraged

by the growing interest of Chinese compa-nies in India,” she explains.

For nearly 4,000 Indians in Shanghai, and many more Chinese who are interested in India and Indian culture, a series of cultural activities, mainly surrounding the commem-oration of Tagore, has been well planned.

During his three visits to China, the great writer not only traveled to numerous cities including Shanghai, Nanjing, Jinan, Hang-zhou and Beijing, but also inspired countless Chinese poets and intellectuals.

The Indian President Pratibha Patil brought a bronze bust of Tagore to Shanghai as a gift during a presidential visit last year. It now stands at the crossing of Maoming and Nanchang roads, where the poet once was invited to his Chinese writer friend’s home.

Celebrations in Shanghai started in early May at the bust. Tagore International School from New Delhi and Jinyuan High School in Shanghai also collaborated to pay tribute to the great writer with exhibitions, perfor-mances and recitals of his poems.

Riva Ganguly Das, consul general of India in Shanghai, hopes that the bilateral trade

between Indian and China will increase this year, and India will export more value-

added products to China. — Wang Rongjiang

INDIAINDIA