Telangana CM embarks on 10-day visit to China

Hyderabad, Sept 7: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday left for a 10-day visit to China to attract investment and also to address a meeting of the World Economic Forum.

The chief minister, some cabinet colleagues, presiding officers of state legislature, his political aides and senior officials left by a private executive jet from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

The government has hired the 50-seater Bombardier CRJ-100 aircraft for Rs.2 crore. The executive jet is known for luxury interiors with an entertainment centre, LCD screens and customised seats.

The delegation includes Industry Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, Energy Minister Jagdish Reddy, assembly Speaker Madhusudhana Chary, council chairman Swamy Goud, Rajya Sabha member K. Keshava Rao, legislators K. Eshwar and G. Balaraju, state's representative in Delhi Venugopala Chary, chief minister's political secretary S. Subhash Reddy, senior officials in CMO and industrialists.

Switzerland-based World Economic Forum has invited the chief minister for its meeting of 'new champions' to be held at Dalian from September 9-11. He will address the meeting on "emerging markets at crossroads".

According to sources close to the chief minister, the visit is aimed at attracting an investment of Rs.50,000 crore to the newly-created state.

KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, will explain the state's new industrial policy both at the global forum and to Chinese investors.

He has been claiming that the new industrial policy unveiled in June this year is one of its kind in the world as it guarantees all approvals for a business proposal in 14 days.

After attending the WEF meeting at Dalian, the delegation will reach Shanghai, where it will visit New Development Bank and interact with Chinese industrialists.

The chief minister will reach Beijing on September 11 and will attend a dinner to be hosted by India's ambassador in China. The next day, he will meet representatives of China Railway Corporation and some top companies.

KCR will visit Great Wall of China on September 13 and the same day will arrive in Shenzhen, where he will meet industrialists at Shenzhen Hitech Park.

On September 15, the chief minister will reach Hong Kong and have lunch-on meeting wit industrialists. He will also visit International Commerce Centre and Sky 100 observation deck, a top tourist destination.

The delegation will return to Hyderabad by the special aircraft on September 16.

This is the third foreign trip for KCR since he took over as the chief minister last June. He earlier visited Singapore and Malaysia.

IANS