The Indian people do want to know more about China, an Indian expert who just came back from China told Xinhua recently in an interview.
Dr. Sujit Basu, Director of Indian Management Development Institute (MDI), who just attended the sixth meeting of the India- China Eminent Persons Group (EPG) held in Beijing, said, “As two fastest growing economies, the peoples between India and China should know more about each other.”
Comprising a cross-section of experts, including academics, media professionals, former government officials and scientists, the EPG’s mission is to make recommendations to the two governments on ways in which India-China bilateral ties can be given added depth.
This is the third time for Basu to visit China. Compared the first time when he visited China in 1995, Basu said China has experienced great changes, not only in the field of infrastructure but also in people’s mind-set.
Basu said Chinese experts have left him deep impression, adding that they are very open-minded, because Chinese experts thought the current border issues would not hamper the friendship between India and China, as both countries have been working on the solutions.
When talking about how to enhance bilateral relations, Basu said that a free trade zone, under the management of both governments, can be built up along the India-China border, so that companies from India and China can work on joint projects in the area.
As for the main opportunities and challenges India and China face during the course of economic development, Basu pointed out that three advantages. First, intellectually speaking, India and China can catch up with any country in the world; secondly, both governments show strong commitment to develop its own country; thirdly, India and China can benefit from labor bonus from the large population. However, the biggest challenge for India and China is how to make best use of human resource.
Basu said that, in next 7 to 10 years, the United States, China and India will be the top three economies in the world.
Meanwhile, Basu said that both Indian and Chinese companies should cooperate with each other, which is conducive to further enhancing bilateral relations.
The MDI is based in Gurgaon, a modern city near the capital New Delhi, which is among the top 5 business schools in India.
In April, 2007, the MDI established cooperation with China’s University of International Business and Economics and the U.S. Maryland University, which provide joint MBA program to students from India, China and the United States.