Barbed wire, not silk
The historic Nathu La Pass on the Silk Route is a frontier that resonates with a violent past and speaks of an uneasy truce in the present. Out here, Hindi-Chini is not so bhai bhai
Nishi Malhotra Chandigarh
Man-made boundaries are like lines in wet sand, drawn with a heavy hand, but vulnerable to the sweeping tides of history. I went to the Indo-China border at Nathu La Pass recently, hot on the trail of two arch rivals’ sudden desire to increase trade and shake hands across a border that once opened onto countries called Sikkim and Tibet. What I found, instead, was a frontier that resonates with a violent past and speaks only of an uneasy truce in the present—made in the interests of the new realities of globalisation, perhaps.
The international boundary between India and China at Nathu La Pass is a paradox. The two strands of barbed wire without a no man’s land that mark this ‘friendly’ border are put to the lie by the heavy stone fortifications still intact on each side. The Chinese appear to have built miniature replicas of the Great Wall that descend from the snowy heights both to the left and right of the border, complete with tunnels and a tower, from which a CCTV records, 24 hours a day, all movement (including that of tourists’) on the Indian side. The Pass itself is not obstructed, however, and tourists can gape at a very worthy view of what was once Tibet.
High on the mountain ridges that are under Indian control, and clearly visible in the near and far distance, are what at first appear to be several random piles of stones partially covered with snow. These are the bunkers inside which our frontline soldiers live, breathe (in extremely rarified air) and wake up. Despite the border now being open to trade and tourists, it is hard to find many private vehicles on the 56 km route from Gangtok to Nathu La. What you do see, instead, is a lot of army green: checkposts, tin-roofed clusters of makeshift cantonments, convoys of trucks ferrying supplies, diesel-spewing jeeps (I travelled in one) and artillery that startles you with the boom of its shells ricocheting off the inner ranges.
An army colonel in Gangtok, in answer to my query about whether he would characterise the atmosphere at the Nathu La border as friendly, said, “Let’s just say there is no hostility at present.” In fact, the Friendship Gate, erected to mark the opening of the Pass, looks out of place next to the poignant signage extolling the fallen heroes of 1962 and the war memorial commemorating them. Indian soldiers patrolling the boundary keep their distance from the Chinese —it is easy to see why.
Even as the Chinese soldiers reach out across the barbed wire to shake hands and pose for pictures with tourists, some of them are not averse to stealing goods from unsuspecting Indians. I was witness to two unseemly (for any army, anywhere) incidents in the one hour we spent at the border —a student had a Rs 100 note snatched right out of her hand by a soldier, who ran off back to his checkpost, laughing at her distress; another tourist managed to save her camera from being grabbed just in the nick of time. No one can help the tourists because the two strands of wire, easy enough to cross, constitute an international boundary that cannot be violated.
As for commerce—the big reason why Nathu La is now a familiar name across India—all the hoopla basically boiled down to importing some yak tails and goat skins (How did we ever manage without them before?). These items, and some sheep, horses, etc., are on the restricted list of 15 that Indian traders trudge all the way up to the Pass and into the village of Renqinggang, in China, to bring back. Of course, they are allowed to export from a list of 29 items as well, including useful things like tea and rice, which hordes of Chinese would gladly grab, except, the Indian government has given permits to only 100 traders. As to why the number of permits issued is so low, and, worse, why the chosen traders should have been born before 1975, the year Sikkim became an Indian state, only the government of India can explain the mystery.
The Chinese have no restrictions on items to be imported and exported or the number of traders who can travel to the Indian mart at Sherathang. They are a little annoyed, though, about their traders not being allowed to stay the night in India; the Chinese have hospitably granted the privilege of overnight stay to tired Indian traders, even constructed hostels for them.
Nathu La is a must-visit for history buffs and those who want a ringside view of what a disputed frontier looks like; even with all the talk of cross-border tourism, it doesn’t quite seem that the warlike infrastructure here is going to be dismantled in a hurry.
The Pass does have a fascinating past. It was used as an offshoot of the Silk Route since ancient times, connecting Lhasa, in Tibet, with the Bengal plains. The trade volume through Nathu La became heavy after the British annexed territories belonging to the Sikkimese, Bhutanese and Nepalese in 1815, and later signed an agreement with China. After China took over Tibet in 1950 and suppressed a Tibetan uprising in 1959, the passes into Sikkim became a conduit for refugees from Tibet. During the 1962 Sino-Indian war, the Nathu La Pass witnessed skirmishes between soldiers of the two countries. Although Sikkim was, at the time, an independent country, the Indian army used to man its border with China. The Pass was closed shortly after 1962.
Up until when the Pass was sealed, goods, such as pens, watches, building materials, cereals, dismantled scooters and four wheelers were exported from India to Tibet on mule-back. A train of 200 mules, each beast of burden carrying 80 kilos on its back, used to take 20-25 days to make the journey from Gangtok to Lhasa and back. The return journey often brought goods, such as precious stones, gold and silverware, medicinal plants and musk pods. Almost 95 per cent of the traders from the Indian side were from the Marwari community.
In later years, several Indian leaders, including Jyoti Basu, Narasimha Rao and Atal Behari Vajpayee, discussed the opening of land trade through this pass (and Jelep la, another all-weather pass that is only five kilometres away from Nathu La) with Beijing. But it was only in 2004, following the visit by India’s Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to China that the formal opening of Nathu La was announced.
Due to logistical problems on the Chinese side, the actual re-opening of Nathu La took place only on July 6, 2006. It was attended by 700 dignitaries from both countries as well as the national and international media—despite the freezing rain and bitter cold that prevailed on the day. The re-opening also marked the formal recognition by India of Tibet as part of China and China’s recognition of the accession of Sikkim to India in 1975. Ironically, July 6 is the birthday of the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, whom the Indian government has been sheltering in Macleodganj ever since he fled Tibet in 1959.
Trade for the year had closed already when I travelled to Nathu La in late October this year. However, history and commerce notwithstanding, geography is a good reason to head to the pass that towers over the relatively low-lying city of Gangtok (4,500 ft) at a dizzy height of 14,400 ft.
The steep gradient is traversed by one of the world’s highest motorable roads and it is possible to make the journey in just two hours. What this translates to on the ground is that one has to cross four climactic zones on the way up—from sub-tropical forest to temperate to wet and dry alpine to cold tundra desert. The treeline disappears at about 12,000 ft and at the time
I travelled, snow was already beginning to pile up from this point onwards. In summer, I was told, the route to Nathu La is spellbinding —irises, poppies, orchids and rhododenderons bloom all along the way. Tsangmo Lake, a crystalline tarn fed by glacier-melt, makes for a good en-route halt —its surrounding area is teeming with wildlife such as Brahmani ducks, yaks, red pandas and migratory birds. Nathu La Pass itself offers a phenomenal long-shot view of the Chumbi Valley of Tibet and a close-up portrait of the Chinese, of course!
( source: Hardnews Magazine-N Delhi)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
MOMENTUM IN NATHU LA TRADE THIS SEASON
Nathu La border trade gains momentum
Gangtok, Aug 20 Border trade between India and China through Nathu La has gained momentum, with the country's export turnover in the last month alone indicating a significant growth.
According to figures released by the Sikkim Commerce and Industries Department, the turnover of export from India reporting a figure of Rs 7.20 lakh in July.
The export turnover at Nathu La, which reopened on May 19 this year, for the two till June stood at about Rs eight lakh export turnover. The total export turnover up to now stands at Rs 15.67 lakh.
Textile products like shawls, blankets, utensils and copper items were much sought after by Chinese importers in view of the growing demand for them by the people of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Commerce and Industry Department officials said.
Products like vegetable oil, canned food, tea, cigarettes and coffee were also much in demand by Chinese importers, they said.
Expressing satisfaction with the growth of bilateral border trade this year, the officials said that with Beijing Olympics 2008 coming to an end on August 24, the volume of the bilateral border trade was expected to pick up with the larger participation of traders of the two countries.
Gangtok, Aug 20 Border trade between India and China through Nathu La has gained momentum, with the country's export turnover in the last month alone indicating a significant growth.
According to figures released by the Sikkim Commerce and Industries Department, the turnover of export from India reporting a figure of Rs 7.20 lakh in July.
The export turnover at Nathu La, which reopened on May 19 this year, for the two till June stood at about Rs eight lakh export turnover. The total export turnover up to now stands at Rs 15.67 lakh.
Textile products like shawls, blankets, utensils and copper items were much sought after by Chinese importers in view of the growing demand for them by the people of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Commerce and Industry Department officials said.
Products like vegetable oil, canned food, tea, cigarettes and coffee were also much in demand by Chinese importers, they said.
Expressing satisfaction with the growth of bilateral border trade this year, the officials said that with Beijing Olympics 2008 coming to an end on August 24, the volume of the bilateral border trade was expected to pick up with the larger participation of traders of the two countries.
Monday, August 18, 2008
MAHINDRA 51% STATE IN CHINESE COMPANY
Mahindra buys 51% in Chinese tractor co
Mumbai, Aug. 18 Tractor and utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra has agreed to pick up majority equity in a joint venture it will form with China’s third largest tractor company, Yancheng Tractor.
The new venture will hold the divested tractor business of the state-owned Chinese company. The deal will strengthen M&M’s tractor company, Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector, the third largest tractor maker in the world, and gets it closer to its aim of becoming number one.
M&M will hold 51 per cent equity in the joint venture, through its Mauritius-based subsidiary, Mahindra Overseas Investment company. It will pay $26 million ( Rs 112 crore) for the stake.The net assets of the Chinese company that will be transferred to the new venture are valued at $ 50 million, said Mr Bharat Doshi, M&M’s Chief Financial Officer.
This is Mahindra’s second tractor venture in China after Mahindra China Tractor Company Ltd, the 80:20 joint venture between Mahindra and Jiangling Motors Company.
M&M makes tractors in the 24-80 HP range and Yangcheng in the 16-125 HP range. Yangcheng exports tractors to the US, South America, Europe, Russia and Africa.
Mr Anand Mahindra, M&M’s Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, hoped the new venture would help the company realise its aspiration of being the number one tractor company in the world.
Mr Doshi said the farm equipment sector sold 1.14 lakh units in 2007 and the figure would be 1.44 lakh if the sales of Punjab Tractors, which M&M bought last year, were added. Yangcheng sold 26,000 units last year.
“If we put together all these numbers, it surpasses that of the world’s largest tractor maker,” said Mr Doshi, suggesting that Mahindra had the potential to become the world’s number 1 in volume terms.
“Yancheng’s Huanghai Jinma brand is strong in domestic China market and the company is one of the biggest exporters,” said Mr Anjanikumar Choudhari, M&M’s President, Farm Equipment Sector. Yancheng Tractor, located in Jiangsu Province, had total revenue last year of about Rs 500 crore.
Investment plan
“We have an investment plan for the growth of the company. Over a period of time we will invest $ 20 million,” said Mr Dhoshi. He said that Yancheng targets 30 – 35,000 unit sales in the current year.
Giving his perspective on the collaborative venture, Mr Anand Mahindra said “World speaks that India and China are competitors. We are showing that India and China can collaborate to create a new competitive force.”
M&M plans to enhance its research and development capabilities in China. “The Chinese have a fair degree of cost-competitiveness. We will certainly leverage that. China could be a base for exports,” said Mr Gautam Nagwekar, Chief Operating Officer, Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector.
Source: Businessline
Mumbai, Aug. 18 Tractor and utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra has agreed to pick up majority equity in a joint venture it will form with China’s third largest tractor company, Yancheng Tractor.
The new venture will hold the divested tractor business of the state-owned Chinese company. The deal will strengthen M&M’s tractor company, Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector, the third largest tractor maker in the world, and gets it closer to its aim of becoming number one.
M&M will hold 51 per cent equity in the joint venture, through its Mauritius-based subsidiary, Mahindra Overseas Investment company. It will pay $26 million ( Rs 112 crore) for the stake.The net assets of the Chinese company that will be transferred to the new venture are valued at $ 50 million, said Mr Bharat Doshi, M&M’s Chief Financial Officer.
This is Mahindra’s second tractor venture in China after Mahindra China Tractor Company Ltd, the 80:20 joint venture between Mahindra and Jiangling Motors Company.
M&M makes tractors in the 24-80 HP range and Yangcheng in the 16-125 HP range. Yangcheng exports tractors to the US, South America, Europe, Russia and Africa.
Mr Anand Mahindra, M&M’s Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, hoped the new venture would help the company realise its aspiration of being the number one tractor company in the world.
Mr Doshi said the farm equipment sector sold 1.14 lakh units in 2007 and the figure would be 1.44 lakh if the sales of Punjab Tractors, which M&M bought last year, were added. Yangcheng sold 26,000 units last year.
“If we put together all these numbers, it surpasses that of the world’s largest tractor maker,” said Mr Doshi, suggesting that Mahindra had the potential to become the world’s number 1 in volume terms.
“Yancheng’s Huanghai Jinma brand is strong in domestic China market and the company is one of the biggest exporters,” said Mr Anjanikumar Choudhari, M&M’s President, Farm Equipment Sector. Yancheng Tractor, located in Jiangsu Province, had total revenue last year of about Rs 500 crore.
Investment plan
“We have an investment plan for the growth of the company. Over a period of time we will invest $ 20 million,” said Mr Dhoshi. He said that Yancheng targets 30 – 35,000 unit sales in the current year.
Giving his perspective on the collaborative venture, Mr Anand Mahindra said “World speaks that India and China are competitors. We are showing that India and China can collaborate to create a new competitive force.”
M&M plans to enhance its research and development capabilities in China. “The Chinese have a fair degree of cost-competitiveness. We will certainly leverage that. China could be a base for exports,” said Mr Gautam Nagwekar, Chief Operating Officer, Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector.
Source: Businessline
Thursday, August 7, 2008
FASTER HIGHER RICHER- CHINA
Faster, higher, richer- CHINA
The 2008 Olympics will open on Friday in Beijing in a burst of pomp and pageantry. Much has been said and written about how China will use the event to showcase its achievements over the past three decades, as it moved from being a Maoist cesspool to its current status as one of the world’s emerging superpowers. The famous Bird’s Nest stadium, the 36 other Olympic facilities, the gleaming new hotels, the super-fast trains from Beijing to Tianjin (where the football games will be played), the world’s biggest airport terminal in the capital city — each is meant to impress.Most countries host their first Olympics when average incomes reach a certain level. When will India be ready?
China is not unique in this respect. Japan did something similar when it hosted the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. “The autumn of 1964, when the Olympics came to Tokyo, was to be the greatest ceremonial celebration of Japan’s peaceful, post-war democratic revival. No longer a defeated nation in disgrace, Japan was respectable now. After years of feverish construction, of highways and stadiums, hotels, sewers, overhead railways, and subway lines, Tokyo was ready to receive the world with a grand display of love, peace, and sports,” writes Ian Buruma in his 2003 book on the rise of Japan, Inventing Japan: From Empire to Economic Miracle.
Familiar, isn’t it?
Economic resurgence and hosting the Olympics seem to go hand in hand. There is a common feature between the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics — and indeed most of the Olympics held across the world in the postwar years. And this common feature could offer us some clues about when India will be ready to host its first Olympics.
Most countries have hosted their first post-war Olympics when their average incomes have moved into a tight band of between $4,000 and $8,000, calculated using 1990 purchasing power parity, or PPP, dollars. I have taken the incomes data from economic historian Angus Maddison’s monumental research into the world economy since the dawn of the christian era. The record suggests that India should try to host its first Olympics when its average income is somewhere in that range.
Consider two Asian countries that had just about emerged out of mass poverty when they hosted the Olympics, to tell the world that they have arrived. Japan had a per capita income of $5,668 in 1964. South Korea had a per capita income of $7,621 in 1988, the year the Games came to Seoul. Both had recorded around 15 years of astonishing growth by the time the world’s best athletes came to their capital cities to win medals and glory. In another part of the world, Mexico had a per capita income of $4,073 in 1968, a year marked by the slaughter of protesting students to ensure a peaceful Olympics and Black Power salutes on the victory stand.
It was not economic success but political unrest that made those Games memorable, a risk that the Chinese are well aware of.
But the incomes rule is not restricted to emerging Asian and Latin American nations alone. Interestingly, even more developed nations had average incomes in the same range when they hosted their first post-war Olympics. Here are some of the relevant numbers: London in 1948 ($6,746), Helsinki in 1952 ($4,674), Melbourne in 1956 ($8,108), Rome in 1960 ($5,916) and Moscow in 1980 ($6,427). The exceptions are few, such as Munich in 1972 ($11,481), Montreal in 1976 ($14,902) and Atlanta in 1992 ($23,298). But when Hitler and his thugs tried to use the Berlin Olympics in 1936 to showcase their achievements, Germany had a per capita income of $4,451.
I am not suggesting any Iron Law of Olympic Bids. But it does appear that countries need strong economies to convince the International Olympic Committee that they can play host to the world’s best sportspeople and thousands of tourists. You need to be rich enough to do the job.
So, when will India be ready? India’s average income right now is around $3,000 in PPP. That is at current rates, and not in the 1990 dollars that I have used in the earlier examples. But a comparison with China today would suffice. Average Chinese PPP incomes will be around $5,500 this year.
How long will it take India to reach that level? Assuming current rates of economic growth and population growth, it will need at least another decade to reach there. In other words, India could think of bidding for the 2020 Games.
China will be showcasing more than its physical infrastructure in Beijing this year.
It also wants to prove that it has the world’s best athletes. A quick tour of various online betting sites suggests that China is expected to win more medals this year than any other country. As far as winning medals goes, India is unlikely to emulate its northern neighbour by 2020.
Sad, but true.
( source: Livemint)
The 2008 Olympics will open on Friday in Beijing in a burst of pomp and pageantry. Much has been said and written about how China will use the event to showcase its achievements over the past three decades, as it moved from being a Maoist cesspool to its current status as one of the world’s emerging superpowers. The famous Bird’s Nest stadium, the 36 other Olympic facilities, the gleaming new hotels, the super-fast trains from Beijing to Tianjin (where the football games will be played), the world’s biggest airport terminal in the capital city — each is meant to impress.Most countries host their first Olympics when average incomes reach a certain level. When will India be ready?
China is not unique in this respect. Japan did something similar when it hosted the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. “The autumn of 1964, when the Olympics came to Tokyo, was to be the greatest ceremonial celebration of Japan’s peaceful, post-war democratic revival. No longer a defeated nation in disgrace, Japan was respectable now. After years of feverish construction, of highways and stadiums, hotels, sewers, overhead railways, and subway lines, Tokyo was ready to receive the world with a grand display of love, peace, and sports,” writes Ian Buruma in his 2003 book on the rise of Japan, Inventing Japan: From Empire to Economic Miracle.
Familiar, isn’t it?
Economic resurgence and hosting the Olympics seem to go hand in hand. There is a common feature between the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics — and indeed most of the Olympics held across the world in the postwar years. And this common feature could offer us some clues about when India will be ready to host its first Olympics.
Most countries have hosted their first post-war Olympics when their average incomes have moved into a tight band of between $4,000 and $8,000, calculated using 1990 purchasing power parity, or PPP, dollars. I have taken the incomes data from economic historian Angus Maddison’s monumental research into the world economy since the dawn of the christian era. The record suggests that India should try to host its first Olympics when its average income is somewhere in that range.
Consider two Asian countries that had just about emerged out of mass poverty when they hosted the Olympics, to tell the world that they have arrived. Japan had a per capita income of $5,668 in 1964. South Korea had a per capita income of $7,621 in 1988, the year the Games came to Seoul. Both had recorded around 15 years of astonishing growth by the time the world’s best athletes came to their capital cities to win medals and glory. In another part of the world, Mexico had a per capita income of $4,073 in 1968, a year marked by the slaughter of protesting students to ensure a peaceful Olympics and Black Power salutes on the victory stand.
It was not economic success but political unrest that made those Games memorable, a risk that the Chinese are well aware of.
But the incomes rule is not restricted to emerging Asian and Latin American nations alone. Interestingly, even more developed nations had average incomes in the same range when they hosted their first post-war Olympics. Here are some of the relevant numbers: London in 1948 ($6,746), Helsinki in 1952 ($4,674), Melbourne in 1956 ($8,108), Rome in 1960 ($5,916) and Moscow in 1980 ($6,427). The exceptions are few, such as Munich in 1972 ($11,481), Montreal in 1976 ($14,902) and Atlanta in 1992 ($23,298). But when Hitler and his thugs tried to use the Berlin Olympics in 1936 to showcase their achievements, Germany had a per capita income of $4,451.
I am not suggesting any Iron Law of Olympic Bids. But it does appear that countries need strong economies to convince the International Olympic Committee that they can play host to the world’s best sportspeople and thousands of tourists. You need to be rich enough to do the job.
So, when will India be ready? India’s average income right now is around $3,000 in PPP. That is at current rates, and not in the 1990 dollars that I have used in the earlier examples. But a comparison with China today would suffice. Average Chinese PPP incomes will be around $5,500 this year.
How long will it take India to reach that level? Assuming current rates of economic growth and population growth, it will need at least another decade to reach there. In other words, India could think of bidding for the 2020 Games.
China will be showcasing more than its physical infrastructure in Beijing this year.
It also wants to prove that it has the world’s best athletes. A quick tour of various online betting sites suggests that China is expected to win more medals this year than any other country. As far as winning medals goes, India is unlikely to emulate its northern neighbour by 2020.
Sad, but true.
( source: Livemint)
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
First tax return filed in Sikkim
Gangtok, Aug. 6: Sikkim today formally came under the purview of the central income tax act with the opening of the first income office here this afternoon.
Initially, around 10 per cent of the state’s total population of 5.4 lakh will come under the assessment of the tax. However, Sikkim Subject Domicile and holders of Certificate of Identification are exempt from paying the tax.
Bonani Ghosh, the commissioner of the income tax department (north Bengal and Sikkim), said after the inauguration of the new office: “The assessment year will be 2008-2009. This has already been agreed upon between the state and the Centre.”
Assistant commissioner A.K. Pramanik of the Siliguri office will also oversee the Sikkim operations through four employees posted at Gangtok. The new office is housed in a government quarters above Bhanupath on the way to the secretariat.
Pankaj Saxena, the general manager of a hotel here, was the first to file his individual return. His chartered accountant handed over the details of his income to the commissioner.
“I appeal to all members of the business community and the state government to make this a smooth operation,” the commissioner said.
A series of workshops will be conducted by the office soon to answer the queries of those who will now have to pay the Central Income Tax.
The Income Tax Act of 1961 had been extended to the state in 1989 but had not been enforced because of stiff opposition from residents, who felt it would overrule the old laws of Sikkim protected under Article 371 (f) of the Constitution.
( SOURCE: THE TELEGRAPH)
Gangtok, Aug. 6: Sikkim today formally came under the purview of the central income tax act with the opening of the first income office here this afternoon.
Initially, around 10 per cent of the state’s total population of 5.4 lakh will come under the assessment of the tax. However, Sikkim Subject Domicile and holders of Certificate of Identification are exempt from paying the tax.
Bonani Ghosh, the commissioner of the income tax department (north Bengal and Sikkim), said after the inauguration of the new office: “The assessment year will be 2008-2009. This has already been agreed upon between the state and the Centre.”
Assistant commissioner A.K. Pramanik of the Siliguri office will also oversee the Sikkim operations through four employees posted at Gangtok. The new office is housed in a government quarters above Bhanupath on the way to the secretariat.
Pankaj Saxena, the general manager of a hotel here, was the first to file his individual return. His chartered accountant handed over the details of his income to the commissioner.
“I appeal to all members of the business community and the state government to make this a smooth operation,” the commissioner said.
A series of workshops will be conducted by the office soon to answer the queries of those who will now have to pay the Central Income Tax.
The Income Tax Act of 1961 had been extended to the state in 1989 but had not been enforced because of stiff opposition from residents, who felt it would overrule the old laws of Sikkim protected under Article 371 (f) of the Constitution.
( SOURCE: THE TELEGRAPH)
CHINA KEEN ON EXPANDING BORDER TRADE
China keen on expanding border trade with India
Shimla, August 05 As China takes initial steps to develop trade links with Himachal Pradesh under its “province-to-province Sino-Indian commerce strategy”, it has reiterated its interest in broadening the share of border trade between two countries through the high-altitude passes in the state.
In a significant move, China has extended support to the entrepreneurs of Himachal to explore trade possibilities in China. It has also requested the Indian government for relaxing visa norms for Chinese nationals and to allow for trade of wide variety of goods through the old silk route that enters China from India through the Shipkila and Nathula passes of Himachal Pradesh.
Replying to a question in Shimla during a seminar organised by the India “China Trade Centre (ICTC), Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of People’s Republic of China in India, Peng Gang said, “The Chinese government is very keen on expanding the trade in India, but the Indian government has been conservative with stringent visa norms for Chinese traveling to India.”
Giving out numbers during the seminar on growth of Himachal with experience from China, Gang said 5 lakh Indians visited China during 2007, while only 50,000 Chinese could get a visa to India.
“India is free to export 36 items to China through the borders shared by India along Himachal with the Autonomous Tibet Region, but China can export only 15 items,” said Gang.
Chairman SRC of India China Trade Centre (ICTC) V.K. Mishra said the Indian government is expected to add more items to the list of things allowed through border trade, which would include more significant things than salt and tea.
Health Minister Rajeev Bindal, on behalf of the state, conveyed interest in developing ties with China in infrastructure building, agriculture, tourism, hydro power and Herbal processing.
“Opportunities of processing of herbal produce and food processing in collaboration with China are being looked upon,” he said.
Chinese Company Longjian Road and Bridge Limited Company (state-run) is the first to foray into Himachal for road infrastructure development in Una and Rohru, with an investment of about 100 million US dollars.
Shimla, August 05 As China takes initial steps to develop trade links with Himachal Pradesh under its “province-to-province Sino-Indian commerce strategy”, it has reiterated its interest in broadening the share of border trade between two countries through the high-altitude passes in the state.
In a significant move, China has extended support to the entrepreneurs of Himachal to explore trade possibilities in China. It has also requested the Indian government for relaxing visa norms for Chinese nationals and to allow for trade of wide variety of goods through the old silk route that enters China from India through the Shipkila and Nathula passes of Himachal Pradesh.
Replying to a question in Shimla during a seminar organised by the India “China Trade Centre (ICTC), Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of People’s Republic of China in India, Peng Gang said, “The Chinese government is very keen on expanding the trade in India, but the Indian government has been conservative with stringent visa norms for Chinese traveling to India.”
Giving out numbers during the seminar on growth of Himachal with experience from China, Gang said 5 lakh Indians visited China during 2007, while only 50,000 Chinese could get a visa to India.
“India is free to export 36 items to China through the borders shared by India along Himachal with the Autonomous Tibet Region, but China can export only 15 items,” said Gang.
Chairman SRC of India China Trade Centre (ICTC) V.K. Mishra said the Indian government is expected to add more items to the list of things allowed through border trade, which would include more significant things than salt and tea.
Health Minister Rajeev Bindal, on behalf of the state, conveyed interest in developing ties with China in infrastructure building, agriculture, tourism, hydro power and Herbal processing.
“Opportunities of processing of herbal produce and food processing in collaboration with China are being looked upon,” he said.
Chinese Company Longjian Road and Bridge Limited Company (state-run) is the first to foray into Himachal for road infrastructure development in Una and Rohru, with an investment of about 100 million US dollars.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KUFRI: “India should relax the stringent visa requirements for Chinese entrepreneurs and tourists for promotion of bilateral relations, trade and joint ventures,” said Peng Gang, the economic and commercial counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in India, here on Tuesday.
He said although the Chinese had started Visa Facilitation Services in their country, the number of Chinese visiting India was far less than the Indians visiting China.
Mr. Peng was addressing a seminar in this tourist resort near Shimla on ‘The growth of Himachal Pradesh with experiences from China and economic cooperation’ jointly organised by the India-China Trade Centre, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of Chinese Enterprise in India. Improve cooperation
Claiming that bilateral trade was expected to reach $60 billion by 2010, he stressed the need to advance industry-to-industry relations and improve cooperation in the fields of steel, ferro-alloys, chemicals, information technology, plastics, petrochemicals and general trade.
Top officials of the India-China Trade Centre said though political clearance from the Chinese government was required for joint ventures with the State-owned companies from China, private entrepreneurs could do it without any government authorisation. There was no harm going in for economic and business cooperation despite the fact that Dalai Lama stays in Himachal Pradesh.
Mr. Liu Shu Jun, Chief Representative of Longjian Road Bridge Company, which is doing two road projects in India, said the company has installed infrastructural equipment worth $7 million in the past few days in the State.
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