Beijing To Have A Sample Of Made-in-India

[Guest guest]

Beijing To Have A Sample Of Made-in-India

 

Rajeev Jayaswal

 

New Delhi, Aug 8: Realising the need for an organised strategy to

make inroads into the Chinese market, companies from different

sectors such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and information

technology have decided to organise the first `Made-in-India show'

in Beijing.

To be held in October 2003, the show will be organised by the

Confederation of Indian Industry in association with Indian embassy

in Beijing. "The main focus of the show will be on the knowledge

sector (IT, biotech & pharmaceutical industries) where India has a

distinct advantage," CII International head Piyush Bahl told FE.

 

Stating that it is too early to disclose names of the companies

participating in the Beijing fair, Mr Bahl said, "all big names in

the knowledge sector are interested in China and their interest is

based on a long-term vision."

 

There are positive signals from the two sides. For the first time,

China has agreed to participate as a partner country in the 15th

International Engineering & Technology Fair, scheduled for February

5-8, '03 in New Delhi. "Participating in trade fairs has become one

of the most effective means to strengthen exchanges and explore the

market," Chinese ambassador to India Hua Junduo had said while

addressing businessmen at the CII recently.

 

The Sino-Indian bilateral trade has grown over 15 per cent during

the first five months of this year. Mr Junduo had expressed the hope

that the two way trade will cross $4 billion-mark this year from

$3.6 billion last year.

 

According to Mr Bahl, most domestic companies are intending to set

up joint ventures in China, especially in the knowledge sector as it

offers immense opportunities. "The basic purpose of the two trade

shows is to understand the market potential and identify potential

partners," he pointed out.

 

The post-World Trade Organisation scenario in China provides ample

opportunities.

 

According to an IDC study, "China is the largest IT market in the

Asia-Pacific region after Japan and its share is expected to go up

from the present 28.3 per cent to 38.5 per cent by '06. The IDC has

also cautioned the domestic companies engaged in manufacturing low

value items such as keyboards, cabinets and switches, saying, "over

90-95 per cent of these items will come to India from China in

future".

 

According to IDC, IT firms should target finance, communications,

transport and the Chinese government as their target. "China's IT

services market is the fastest growing market in the world. Market

size is likely to grow nearly eight times from $1.3 billion in '01

to $10 billion by '06.

 

Stating that China will offer immense opportunities in the pharma

sector, Mr Bahl said, "China is now the 10th largest drug market in

the world and is likely to become the number one by '50