Lucknow – Wenzhou – sister cities- hold Dialogue Forum on Leather Industries in Wenzhou

          In partnership with Consulate General of India in Shanghai, Wenzhou Municipal People’s Government organized a Business Forum on 17 June – focusing on cooperation in the Leather Industries sector between Lucknow (UP) and Wenzhou (Zhejiang). 

2. A three-member delegation of officials and leather industry representatives from the Government of Uttar Pradesh, led by Mr. Deepak Kumar Garg, Chief Manager of UP State Industrial Corporation, along with Mr. Javed Iqbal, Regional Head of the Council of Leather Exports, participated at the Round Table Dialogue Forum, which was attended by more than 70 plus representatives of the leather industry from Wenzhou. 

3. Mr. Zhu Rongmei, Party Secretary of the Wenzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, addressed the gathering and called upon Wenzhou companies to take advantages of the investment opportunities in the leather industry sector in India and forge collaborative business linkages. Consul General of India in Shanghai, Mr. Prakash Gupta, in his remarks outlined the preferential policies being extended by Government of India to foreign investors in the leather industry sector. A detailed presentation outlining the various land units and preferential policies being extended by UP Government to foreign investors, was also made by Mr. Garg of UPSIDC. 

4. It may be noted that in the Eastern China region, Wenzhou (located in Zhejiang) is one of the biggest leather industry production hubs and the delegation of Wenzhou Government officials had signed on April 24 in Lucknow – an agreement establishing sister city relations with Lucknow. One of the key areas of cooperation identified in the sister city MoU was in the leather industries sector, and as such the business forum in Wenzhou, was an attempt to take one step forward in letting Wenzhou leather industries get a better understanding of the investment landscape in around Lucknow/Kanpur region, which is also an important leather hub. 

5. As a follow up to the Business Event, it is expected that the China Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Group is likely to visit Uttar Pradesh to hold talks for development of a leather industries cluster at an appropriate industrial park in UP.  Consul General has also extended an invitation to Wenzhou city leadership to lead an investors’ delegation to visit Uttar Pradesh in the latter half of the year to identify tangible investment opportunities. 

6. It may be noted that Indian Consulate has been working closely with the Wenzhou Municipal People’s Government in the last couple of years. A first ever center in mainland China to promote India and China trade and culture was set up in Wenzhou in end 2015 – under the title of “India China Economic and Cultural Exchange Center”.  Subsequently, an India Culture Week was also organized in Wenzhou in the first half of 2016, which showcased Indian food, Indian Films and Indian cultural performances to Wenzhou art lovers. Wenzhou also hosted on 18 June, a grand celebration of the 3^rd International Day of Yoga at Dongtou Wanghai Pavilion with more than a 1000 yoga lovers joining the celebrations. 

Wenzhou (Zhejiang)

18 June 2017