Kapil Sibal Inaugurates "Made In India" and"India Tech Show" in Beijing

Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Mr. Kapil Sibal today inaugurated the 4th Made in India Show at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing. Addressing the gathering at the inauguration he called for greater India- China Technology partnership. Pointing out that the bilateral trade between the two countries is on the rise with India's total trade with China touching $ 18.7 billion this year, the Minister said, China is destined to be India's partner. Today the world is driven by high quality and low cost products which are core areas of expertise for India and China respectively, thus cooperation amongst the two countries will be a win-win situation for both the countries, he said. Mr. Kapil Sibal observed that the C in China stands for capacities and I in India for innovation. The combination of the two can overtake the world trade.

Also present at the inaugural function were Mr. Cheng Jin Pei, Vice Minister of Science & Technology, Government of China, Mr. Wan Jifei, Chairman, China Council for Promotion of International Trade, Mr. Nalin Surie, Indian Ambassador to China and R.Seshasayee, President of Confederation of Indian Industries. Addressing the gathering Mr. Cheng Jin Pei said that India and China are emerging economies and it is in the national interest of both the countries to remain friends.

Elaborating on the need to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries, Mr. Kapil Sibal said that today both the countries along with ASEAN countries make up for more than half the world's population, thus representing a market with huge potential. Economic cooperation not only benefits the economy but also brings the people of the two countries closer. In the last few years, the two countries have moved from competing in the global arena towards cooperation and collaboration.

On the Science & Technology front , he added, Science and Technology is at the heart of development and both the countries agree on this. There are a number of areas where both the countries are interested in cooperation. There is a broad agreement on evolving a strategic relationship based on four pillars and a foundation of the synergy of India's software and China's hardware. Out of the four pillars, two would be for hitech and two for public good. Our aim is to develop technology which is purposeful, operational and shows results on the ground, thus helping the common man.

Later, Delivering the keynote address at the India-China Business Summit Mr. Kapil Sibal said that MNC's have been coming to India for the talent pool and to China for manufacturing at low costs. Though this has helped both the countries, it has not done enough for the common man. The time is opportune for both the countries to come ahead and cooperate with each other. Both India and China need to come together to develop cutting edge technologies to provide solutions to the problem of the common man. Companies need to look at the bottom of the pyramid where there is huge potential if one can develop solutions which are simple, affordable and accessible. He also added that the problems of the common man are very similar in both the countries and thus the need to address them will be a mutually beneficial deal.

Mr. Kapil Sibal who is in Beijing on a five day visit to strengthen cooperation in S&T also interacted with the Chinese media and correspondents of International Media organizations based in Beijing. He will be visiting the Chinese Meteorology Department and some other Science and Technology Institutes tomorrow and will participate in the World Economic Forum on Monday.

India yesterday signed an agreement with China to strengthen cooperation in Science and Technology. Under the MoU, there will be a Joint Steering Committee at the Ministerial level which will prepare a road map within 3 months for future S&T cooperation. It will review the multiplicity of agreements and arrangements that are already in place with a view to strengthen those which are going on and reactivate those which have not been fully utilized.

Source : Press Information Bureau
Date : September 08, 2006