“China and India, two of the world’s most populous and fastest developing countries are faced with “one of the greatest opportunities” to cooperate for mutual benefit”
                                                                                            Ratan Tata 2004

As you are aware, India and China are the fastest growing economies in the world. The two nations have been deemed as the “dual engines” driving the economic growth of Asia and the World’s economy. Hence, their cooperation in the economic and trade arena has been regarded as the most important happening in the 21^st century.

India and China are natural allies. Their geographical proximity, similar cultural values, and large size of their economies can facilitate exploitation of these synergies. There are substantial complementarities in the economic structures of China and India. China has emerged as a significant link in the manufacturing chain of the world while India is emerging as a knowledge-based services centre of the world. They can pool their resources for improving their international competitiveness and can fruitfully share their experiences and also cooperate at multileral forums like the WTO.

The economic cooperation between India and China has grown rapidly and surpassed all predictions of bilateral trade in the last decade indicating the presence of a vast potential for further cooperation. The trade volume between these two countries is touching US $ 40 billion. China has become India’s largest trading partner and third largest export destination. However, we are far from realizing the actual trade potential, the balance of trade is increasing and the basket of traded goods is skewed in favor of china where Indian exports are dominated by natural resources while China exports manufactured goods to India. Moreover, the economic cooperation in areas such as services and investment is negligible.    

Some of the reasons identified for not realizing the actual potential for economic cooperation between two countries are, lack of knowledge of business opportunities, lack of understating each others business environment, lack of understanding policies and procedures, difficulty in finding right partner, absence of a platform where they can raise issues of concern etc.

India China Conclave is an attempt to provide a platform where Indian and Chinese businessmen will come together to discuss business opportunities and cooperation and also raise issues of concern to the government agencies and policy makers. The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh has been requested to inaugurate the Conclave. The conclave will be attended by various central and state ministries, Top Bureaucrats, and renowned industrialist of both countries. Some 700 Indian and 300 Chinese delegates are expected to attend the Conclave.

The India China Conclave is jointly organized by India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in collaboration with China Council for Promotion of International Trade.

The India China Conclave will be held on 18th and 19th February 2009, at Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Jawahar Bhawan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi 110001.