Chinese envoy calls for joint effort to further promote economic, trade cooperation between China, India

NEW DELHI, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Consul-General in Kolkata Zha Liyou Thursday called for joint efforts to further promote economic and trade cooperation between China and India.

Speaking at a reception to celebrate the success of 2022 West Bengal Global Business Summit and welcome the visiting Chinese business delegation, Zha noted that the bilateral trade volume between China and India has surpassed 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 and China remained the biggest trade partner of India.

"This data sufficiently demonstrates that the strong demand for Sino-Indian economic cooperation is an irreversible fact and serves as the solid foundation for the development of mutually-beneficial coordination," Zha said.

Looking at the future, the two giant economies which are on a fast track of development should embrace the great potential in further promoting trade and economic cooperation, Zha said.

As an east Indian state adjacent to southwest China, West Bengal State has unique advantages in making a bigger cake of bilateral economic cooperation, Zha said, hoping the state capital of Kolkata would become East India's hub and gateway of doing business with China.

He also expressed the hope that as friendship provinces and cities, the trade and economic cooperation of China's Yunnan Province and its capital Kunming with West Bengal and its capital Kolkata would achieve comprehensive and breakthrough development from the current status, he added.

Some 150 guests including Barun Kumar Ray, principal secretary of labor department of West Bengal State, and 23 representatives from eight Chinese companies attended the reception.