India-China body sets up 8 committees to help promote trade

NEW DELHI: The India China Trade Centre ( ICTC) has decided to set up eight committees to help promote bilateral trade in areas including auto components and automobiles and film, media and communication.

The ICTC board, at a meeting earlier this week, approved the formation of panels on agro & food processing and marine products, regulatory affairs & taxation, law & justice, films, media & communication, metals, minerals & chemicals, IT & ITES, MSME, automobiles & auto components, according to a statement.

The steps are being taken in the background of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to India in May and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's forthcoming trip to China to invite investment from China and bridge the trade gap.

The board approved opening the Andhra Pradesh state office at Hyderabad and the Tamil Nadu state office at Chennai.

The ICTC is a non-governmental, member-supported organisation for Indian corporations engaged in business relations with China.

It was founded in 1997 in New Delhi and Guangzhou to enhance India-China economic cooperation through research studies, policy advice and strategic guidelines to business. It seeks to facilitate business efforts between Indian and Chinese commercial and economic communities.