In the run-up to the 6th Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January 2013, Government of Gujarat, Consulate General of India, Shanghai and Confederation of Indian Industry with the support of Academy for World Watch organized a Seminar on ‘Investment Opportunities in Gujarat: Infrastructure, Textile and Financial Services’ on 12 June 2012 at Shanghai.

During the seminar, Consul General Mrs. Riva Ganguly Das in her keynote address highlighted the growing economic & trade relationship between India and China. She mentioned that with the new business opportunities offered by India, the number of business cooperation between Indian and Chinese companies are emerging like that of Zhejiang Longsheng Group and Kiri Chemicals which had complimented each other strength to capture market in Europe and US. Mr. Bharat Lal, Principal Resident Commissioner, Government of Gujarat made a presentation on ‘the development plans of Gujarat and investment opportunities it offers to the Chinese companies’. Further, detailed presentations on ‘Industrial Planning & Large Infrastructure Opportunities’ and ‘Opportunities in Financial sector’ were also made by the delegation members.

The speakers mentioned that Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial global investor summit organized by the Government of Gujarat that brings together global leaders, policy makers, academia and industrialists on a common platform to brainstorm on issues of prominence, define growth agenda, and promote balanced & sustainable growth. The last edition of the summit saw participation from more than 100 countries and signing of MoUs worth US$ 450 Billion. Gujarat is the 7th largest province of India located in the western part of the country and is widely seen as one of the most industrialized states in India with a GDP growth rate of around 10% over last few years. The speakers also highlighted Gujarat’s key strengths, which include its strategic location and excellent infrastructure. The state has already attracted a number of foreign investments including some of the major Chinese companies like Zhejiang Lonsheng Group, TBEA Transformers, and couple of other companies involved in construction industry.

Mr. Sun Yang, Executive President, Academy for World Watch in his speech encouraged Chinese companies to look at India as their destination for expanding their operations outside China. More than 100 participants from various Chinese companies based in and around Shanghai attended the seminar.