After a lunch hosted by HSBC, a Government-to-Business (G2B) Memorandum of Understanding with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) was signed in presence of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The business scope of the Corporation extends from international contracting for railway construction to different areas of civil engineering like design & consultancy, real estate development, trading, industrial investment and hotel management.
Meeting with Wang Anshun, Mayor of Beijing:
AP government delegation met Wang Anshun, Mayor of Beijing, who spoke high about the diplomatic relations between India and China. He said that following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India last October, the bilateral ties between the two nations saw an inclination towards growth and development.
Comparing Beijing to be one-tenth tensile of Andhra Pradesh, he mentioned that the GDP growth of Beijing for 2014 was 7.5 percent. He also added that they are looking towards India as their next destination to expand growth ventures and said that the country provides a favourable climate for expansion.
Anshun welcomed Indian businessmen to set up their companies in China and offered Chinese businessmen to visit India to explore industrial opportunities. Stressing on the closer cultural ties between the countries, the Mayor added how the art of Yoga is gaining popularity in Beijing.
The Chief Minister mentioned to the Mayor that he has visited Beijing before Olympics and this is his second visit to the city. He also added that there has been rapid progress in the city and offered to work together in several areas. He also mentioned that Andhra Pradesh being a newly formed state, is embarking towards achieving double-digit growth.
The Chief Minister also mentioned about the state capital being named Amaravathi, a culturally rich historical town which is known for Buddhist heritage. Stating that though the state is rich in the software industry, having engineers from the state employed all over the world, the Chief Minister mentioned that the state is weak in hardware and sought co-operation in this industry.
Responding positively to the Chief Minister’s invite to work together, the Mayor agreed upon working towards the development of Finance, Tourism, Industry and other sectors. He also mentioned that AP has always maintained cordial relations with China and they are keen in taking forward the friendship.
Meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang:
Following an interactive session with the Mayor of Beijing, the government delegation met Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang .
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu elaborated on the cordial relations India shared with China over the years. Bringing in greetings from Indians, he said that he is a great admirer of Deng Xiao Peng. He mentioned that similar to the Vice Premier’s ideology, he is also pro economic reforms.
After a brief interaction with the Chief Minister, the Vice Premier mentioned that his understanding about Andhra Pradesh has deepened. He also said that he has heard high about the Chief Minister and meeting him in person proved him right. He added that India and China are two big countries, sharing similar goals of development, are capable to transform the world. He also mentioned that 2015 marks the 65th year of their diplomatic relationship and Xi Jinping’s visit to India has redefined the relationship.
The Vice Premier’s portfolio being tourism and external economic relations, he assured the Chief Minister that he will mandate the commerce ministry to explore the possibilities of expansion in Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that Sinoma International is keen to set up an industrial city in India and an MoU can be signed when our Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits China in May. He has also sought guidance in fostering economic and business relationship between Andhra Pradesh and China. The Chief Minister emphasized on a student exchange programmes between the countries.
The Chief Minister offered a personal invite to the Vice premier to visit the state.
Visit to Huawei R&D Centre:
Later in the evening, the government delegation visited the Huawei Research and Development Centre in Beijing.
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is a Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment. It is the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world, having overtaken Ericsson in 2012.
In an interaction with the top management of Huawei Technologies, the Chief Minister inquired how the company proposes to integrate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for governance. He has also asked the company to come up with a road-map illustrating their proposal to integrate ICT to Government of Andhra Pradesh programmes to measure public response and identify satisfaction indices.
The management sought four weeks time to draft much clearer plan in this regard. They have also expressed interest in opening a development centre near the new capital.
The Chief Minister also asked Huawei to consider hardware manufacturing in the state.
The meeting concluded with a dinner hosted by the Huawei management. (INN)