Addressing the opening ceremony of the two-day conference being held at the capital city of Yunnan Province, top Chinese officials stressed the need for more cooperation between China and South Asian countries, and made the assurance the Chinese government was committed to take all necessary steps in that direction.
Governor of Yunnan Province Qin Guangrong said that China and South Asian countries must work hand-in-hand to tackle the impact of the global financial crisis. “With close cooperation between China and the South Asian countries, particularly in the trade and commerce sector, we can change the deepening challenges into opportunities,” he said.
He said the Yunnan Province is planning to develop Kunming as the gateway to foster trade with the South Asian countries. He further informed the gathering that the Chinese government is also planning to expand railways and highways to connect South Asia´s major cities.
Governor Qin also said that promoting regional trade, particularly between China and India, is one of several ways to limit the impact of the global financial crisis, which has squeezed demand in developed countries.
“It is high time for both China and the South Asian countries to work for a strong foundation to ensure a long-term bilateral economic and trade cooperation,” he said.
Highlighting the prospect of economic and trade cooperation, Governor Qin said bilateral trade between China and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations had reached US$ 66 billion last year. Tremendous opportunities exist to further increase this trade volume, he stated.
President of SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Tariq Sayeed also highlighted the opportunities lying before China and the SAARC countries. He noted that the growing trade balance in China´s favor was a matter of concern for the South Asian region.
He also called upon the Chinese government to take steps to ensure preferential entry for goods made in SAARC countries into the Chinese market in order to increase the volume of exports to China.
Tariq also urged Chinese investors to explore investment possibilities in the region. He urged both the SAARC countries and China to provide additional travel facilities to each other´s businessmen.
Speaking on the conference, Nepal´s Commerce Secretary Purushottam Ojha highlighted various policies the government of Nepal has adopted to boost export to China and urged Chinese business people to invest in Nepal.
prem@myrepublica.com
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