Chinese delegation meets Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu for bilateral cooperation

HYDERABAD: A delegation from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China, met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu here today and discussed possible areas of bilateral cooperation.

The delegation was led by Fu Yonglin, deputy mayor of Chengdu, who called on Naidu here in the wake of the latter's visit to the neighbouring country in March this year, an official release said.

During the interactive session between Chengdu business delegation and the businessmen from AP, the Chief Minister thanked Yonglin for leading the delegation.

Naidu told them that there are numerous opportunities for Chinese investors in infrastructure, ports, construction, manufacturing and agro-processing in Andhra Pradesh.

"We are building a new state and a new capital. Everything that we start with can be made the best practice," Naidu said.

The long coastline in AP gives the state an opportunity to boost eco-tourism and beach tourism, he said.

Yonglin said India and China have had great trade relations.

"The trade exchange between India and Chengdu in the last one year was USD one billion. Between January and March 2015 alone, the trade exchange has been USD 200 million," the release quoted him as saying.

The trade exchange reflects the potential for great cooperation between India and Chengdu and AP and Chengdu, he said, adding, that the city's businessmen are interested in software services and manufacturing.

"Chengdu has a powerful industrial base. We are strong in manufacturing and given our history, there is great potential for tourism," Yonglin said.

The Chinese business delegation evinced interest in cooperating in manufacturing, IT sector, tourism and agriculture, the release added.