Modi moots Shanghai-Ahmedabad air link

Ahmedabad, Nov 7 (UNI) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has sought China's cooperation for direct airlink between China's busines capital Shanghai and Ahmedabad.

Stating this, Mr Chintan Parikh, Managing Director, Ashima Industries, who had been with the Chief Minister as part of a business delegation to Singapore and China, said, ''This will give a major boost to trade with China.'' Briefing mediapersons about the outcome of the visit at the Gujarat Chambers of Commerce and Industry here, he said large scale investments are expected from Singapore and China as several companies have expressed interest in Gujarat. ''Some companies from Malaysia and Mauritius attended the Gujarat's presentation at Global Entrepolis@Singapore meet to know more about the investment opportunities here.'' Several business leaders of the state were also present at the conference.

Mr Sudhir Mehta, Chairman, Torrent Group, said his company inked an agreement with Chinese pharma company Tasly for importing their products and distributing them in the Indian market. ''This is the first step. Then we shall also export our products to China. The company is also into biotech products and we can look for a long term partnership.'' The Chief Minister expressed interest in drawing from Singapore's developmental experiences in various areas, including environment protection, industrial development and housing. He also invited Singapore companies to play a greater role in Gujarat's economic development.

In China, the delegations explored cooperative opportunites between Gujarat and Shenzhen SEZ authorities. It also had meetings with MNCs such as TCL, Huawei Technology, and Deren Electronics.

UNI MMG MAZ AW2112