By K J M Varma
Beijing, Mar 31 (PTI): An Indian chambers of commerce delegation is currently visiting China to interact with their counterparts here, marking the first such visit after the five-year freeze in relations.
A delegation of the Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) is on a visit to Shanghai and China's Jiangsu province, one of the most industrialised areas of China, from Mar 29 to April 4.
This is the first Indian trade delegation to visit China after the two countries normalised bilateral relations last year, after over five years of hiatus following the military standoff at Eastern Ladakh in 2020.
The relations were on the course of normalisation after the meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2024 and 2025 on the sidelines of the BRICS and SCO summits.
The Indian Consulate General of Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, on Tuesday hosted a Business Round Table between the PHDCCI Delegation and leading companies and financial institutions from Eastern China to explore opportunities for collaboration with Indian businesses.
Welcoming the delegation, Mathur noted that India continues to emerge as the world's fastest-growing major economy with one of the youngest demographics globally, creating immense opportunities for international partnerships and investments, a press release by the Consulate said.
During his address, Mathur emphasised India's expanding prospects in several sunrise sectors, including New and Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles (EVs), connectivity and infrastructure development, as well as information and technology industries.
These sectors, he said, offer significant potential for collaboration between Indian and global companies seeking sustainable growth.
The visit of the PHDCCI delegation was designed to build stronger connections between Indian businesses and industry counterparts in Eastern China, particularly in Shanghai, the country's commercial hub, as well as the rapidly growing provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, the press release said.
The engagement aimed to encourage new partnerships, strengthen trade ties, and promote long-term cooperation between companies from both regions.
In addition to industrial discussions, the visit also focused on fostering technology partnerships and facilitating business-to-business (B2B) meetings.
These engagements are intended to support India's vision of strengthening domestic capabilities and innovation while advancing the national goal of building a developed India by 2047, it said.
The Roundtable witnessed high-level participation from the Chinese side as well, including leading corporations and financial institutions such as HSBC and Wuxi Technology Development Corporation.
Their participation reflected a strong interest in expanding cooperation with Indian companies across emerging industries and technology sectors, it said.
To further broaden the global perspective of the discussions, representatives from European business groups also participated and shared insights on emerging opportunities created by the proposed India-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
Participants highlighted the importance of building resilient and sustainable global supply chains with a central role for Indian businesses and investments, it said.
A brochure on the visit of the delegation said it aims to explore technology partnerships, engage with advanced clean-energy ecosystems, and get a first-hand demonstration of innovation in the RE & EV sectors in China.
Objectives of the delegation included identifying trading, investment and partnership opportunities, fostering B2B collaborations, visiting innovation parks & industrial parks, learning from China's clean mobility and battery innovations and exploring renewable integrations and supply chains, it said.
(PTI)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
