Chinese province seeks ties with B'lore

The delegation led by Fan Tao, deputy director of the Investment Promotion and Co-operation Bureau, interacted with top officials of the departments of industries, tourism and agriculture, at a meeting held in the City.

The delegation tried to sell the idea that Yunnan Province, in far southwest China, was strategically located midway on the trade routes between China, South Asia and South East Asia. The province borders Burma, Laos and Vietnam, and its capital Kunming is around 1,500 km from Kolkata.

Mohandas Pai, chairman, Manipal Universal Learning, suggested that the two regions establish Information Technology Parks in Kunming and Bangalore, besides sending IT delegations to explore areas of mutual co-operation. A $100-million fund needs to be set aside for collaborative initiatives between the two regions.

K V Raju, economic advisor to Karnataka chief minister, invited Yunnan to the Global Agribusiness and Food Processing Summit scheduled to be held in Bangalore on December 1 and 2 and also the Global Investors’ Meet next year.  He suggested that the two regions sign a memorandum of understanding for further collaborations. He said the two regions should have mutual faculty and student exchange programmes.

Vishwanath Reddy, director, Department of Tourism, spoke on investment opportunities in the areas of heli-tourism, spas, museum complex and thematic resorts in the State.