India Inc on a drive to deepen economic partnership with Japan

New Delhi : A high-powered FICCI business delegation led by Harshavardhan Neotia, FICCI President and Chairman Ambuja Neotia is accompanying Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to Japan from 29 May to June 3 to enhance the bilateral economic engagement between the two Asian partners and boost cooperation between Indian and Japanese businesses.

This FICCI initiative is timed suitably to add to the momentum that the India-Japan economic partnership has been witnessing on the back of a steady exchange of visits by the top leadership of both the countries and expanding spheres of collaboration that has evolved into a strategic and global partnership.

The visit by the FICCI delegation to Japan also comes at a time when India’s experience of strong economic growth, comfortable price situation, low current account deficit, and adherence to fiscal recovery path have projected her as an outpost of opportunity for global investors.

While these positives add a favorable backdrop to the FICCI delegation, the importance of the visit

is underlined by a series of significant meetings which are expected to set the pace for an intensified dialogue between businesses on both sides.

Prominent among these engagements are the CEO’s Roundtable on 1st June being organized by FICCI with the chief executives of Japanese companies and the meeting on the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) which will involve interaction with banks, insurance companies, asset management companies looking to expand their presence in India as well as discussion with Japan Post and pension funds regarding long-term investment in India.

The delegation will get an opportunity to highlight to stakeholders the opportunity to leverage on the NIIF as an instrument to drive deeper engagement between India and Japan. The NIIF has been set up by the Government of India in partnership with institutional investors from India and abroad to attract investments in commercially viable infrastructure projects in roads and highways, railways which have exciting plans to build dedicated freight corridors and logistics hubs, ports with the vast Indian coastline of over 7,000 km, renewable energy and smart cities.

The delegation will be represented by industry and business heads from diversified sectors and senior government officials. The other members of the business delegation are Rashesh Shah, Vice President, FICCI and Chairman Edelweiss Financial Services Ltd; Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Immediate Past President, FICCI and Chairperson and Managing Director, Bharat Hotels Ltd; KK Modi, Chairman, Modi Enterprises amongst others. (ANI)