Conference on India China Financial Cooperation

India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC Council) and the Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) hosted the Roundtable Discussion on 'India-China Financial Cooperation' on 13th November 2009 at the India International Centre as part of the concluding session of the 3rd High Level India-China Finance Conference. (The conference this year was held from 10 - 13 November 2009 hosted by India China Economic & Cultural Council (ICEC) in partnership with Indian Banks Association (IBA) in Mumbai and New Delhi).
The Roundtable Session today addressed financial issues facing Small & Medium Enterprises (SME's) in India and China.

Dr. Abid Hussain, Chairman, ICEC; Mr. P. S. Deodhar, President, ICEC; Mr. Mohd. Saqib, Secretary General, ICEC; Mr. Sandip Ghose, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India; Mr. Anil Bharadwaj, Secretary General, FISME; Mr. Dinesh Rai, Secretary, MSME; Mr. Paul Joseph, Principal Advisor, MCX; Mr. Arun Agarwal, President & Global Head (International Banking), Yes Bank and Mr. Ashwini Mehra Executive Vice President & Head, SBI were some of the prominent faces representing India. A twenty member delegation from China headed by Mr. Ma Delun, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China was here on a week-long visit to India for the conference. The Deputy Governor was accompanied by senior officials from other Chinese regulatory bodies and financial institutions, such as Deputy Governor Mr. Ma Delun, Dr. Yi Cheng, Deputy Director General Research Bureau, PBC and Mr. Li Xiangyang the Deputy Counsel General of China in Mumbai.

Dr. Abid Hussain, Chairman, ICEC Council, in his opening remarks noted that, there are striking similarities & experiences in economic growth of India & China. He also added that, both countries need to work together to foster mutual confidence and alley fears.

Mr. Dinesh Rai, Secretary, MSME, highlighted the role of entrepreneurs in pioneering the economic growth of the country. He stressed that the growth of the SME sector was very crucial since it provides a large employment base and were the roadmap for the future. There are several issues that SME's faced which needed to be tackled and he identified them as - labour issues; quality; taxation and exim policy.

Mr. Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General, FISME, said that China has earned considerable experience in SME stock exchange. Innovative financial strategies have helped China to infuse equity in SMEs. In view of SEBI's recent decision to allow SME stock exchange in India, the need of bilateral cooperation can be easily understood.

Prof. Anwarul Hoda, Ex-Member, Planning Commission, pointed, that in view of the huge infrastructure finance deficit, India & China should consider strategies, to work together. Such cooperation will not only bring the investment but also the technology which China has used while developing its infrastructure.

Mr. Mohd. Saqib, Secretary General, ICEC Council, expressed that there were hiccups in getting the government to completely take on the responsibility of building roads and improving infrastructure and we had to work on the PPP model. He was very forthcoming and invited China to join hands with India and form an "India-China Infrastructure fund" that would function as a guarantor for both the countries to trade in finance and technology enabling the growth of modern infrastructure in India.

Mr. MA Delun, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China, outlined the key areas of bilateral cooperation between India & China. SME Finance, Rural Banking & Infrastructure finance are the areas where the two countries can mutually benefit, he added.
Mr. P.S. Deodhar, President, ICEC Council, in his concluding remarks, highlighted the cultural similarities in India & China and placed high importance of continued dialogue between the two countries.

Chinese delegates expressed their appreciation at the growing trade and socio-cultural ties between India & China and shared that they expected India-China trade to grow to US$60 billion by 2010 (it has already surpassed US$51.8 billion in 2008).

While both countries maintained that the financial crisis last year had a limited impact on their economies because of their prudential banking regulations, distance from the severely affected western markets and the culture of saving; they also agreed that post the financial crisis, regulations that balance innovation and risks needed implementation.

This report was filed by India China Economic and Cultural Council (ISEC Council).