REAL BUSINESS CHANCES

Li Dongsheng, chairman of TCL Corporation, China's leading consumer electronics enterprise, said that the company is looking for an Indian partner to set up an industrial base in India.

"We are also working on the plan to found a production and research base in southwest China's Yunnan, based on its proximity to South Asian countries," according to Li.

Lu Li, vice president of technology giant Huawei, said Yunnan is at the center of the company's Asian market strategy.

"We plan to set up a data service base in Yunnan to support e-commerce and industrial development in China and neighboring countries," he said.

Lu said Huawei's 15-year-old branch in India has employed 5,500 local people. Huawei has also set up a based in Calcutta.

As Chinese firms branch out to other countries, their Asian counterparts are marching in.

Tata Group, India's leading industrial firm, has set up 15 firms in China with a total of 6,200 employees. Its revenues from China topped 13.7 billion U.S. dollars last year.

Li Furan, deputy manager of Tata's China subsidiary, said economic growth is robust in both China and India, providing mutual business opportunities.

Roopen Roy, president of the India Chamber of Commerce, called for the modern Silk Road to promote transformation from a labor-intensive economy in Asia to one based on knowledge and technology. It was not only spice and chinaware traded along the ancient Silk Road, but also knowledge, he said.

"In the digital field, the Silk Road countries can cooperate to build a 'digital Silk Road'," he suggested.