Twenty participants received certificates on completion of the Short-Term Online Business Chinese (A1) Certificate Course 2022 offered by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the Consulate General of China in Kolkata, Yunnan University and the Foreign Affairs Office of Yunnan Province.
The 60-hour course was held from June 18 to September 24. The programme was designed for beginners, with a focus on oral communication in the Chinese language. Ma Xiaoyan, Chinese project manager, Yunnan University, and Dong Chengsai, Chinese teacher, Yunnan University, were the trainers for the course.
Zha Liyou, the consul general of the People’s Republic of China in Kolkata, handed over the certificates to the participants at his residence in Kolkata on October 18.
Six of the participants were nominated by Exide, which has signed an agreement with SVolt of China for setting up a multi-gigawatt-hour lithium-ion cell manufacturing plant. Construction of the plant has begun and production is expected to start in 2024.
The other companies that nominated participants included CESC Limited, Damodar Valley Corporation, Delhi Public School, Mindtree, Navitus Controls & Equipment Pvt. Ltd., NEO Enterprise, Om Leather Artdeco (P) Ltd and Tata Steel. There were also two participants from Bangladesh.
Subir Chakraborty, president, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry and MD & CEO of Exide Industries Ltd, was present on the occasion. “Easing travel restrictions to China will certainly go a long way in encouraging business contacts between the two countries. Businessmen on both sides are eagerly waiting for positive developments on this front and the Consul General is requested to use his good office to facilitate this process,” he said.
“China is having difficulty today in opening up travelling as all flights are not operational. India has not yet started direct flights to China. The stakeholders are requested to please allow some time for the situation to ease. Business visas are being given. The consulate will provide all the support,” consul general Zha Liyou said.
The participants with Subir Chakraborty and Zha Liyou Amit Datta
Shibani Chowdhury, project engineer, Navitus Controls & Equipment Pvt. Ltd, and one of the participants said the course had enriched her knowledge about China. “It has also given me the confidence that the ‘great wall’ can be crossed,” she said.
For Debarati Sengupta, course participant and associate manager of Mindtree, teh course was a window to the world of Chinese culture and people. “It has been a delightful experience for me to participate in this fantastic Chinese language course designed for business,” she said.
India-China bilateral trade grew by 75.30% between 2015 and 2021 — an average yearly growth of 12.55%. In 2021, India’s overall trade with China increased by 43.32% year on year to reach $125.62 billion, crossing the $100 billion mark for the first time. The trade deficit came at $69.56 billion as India’s imports from China witnessed an increase of 46.14% to reach $97.59 billion, meanwhile India’s exports to China increased by 34.28% year on year to reach $28.03 billion.
So far in the first eight months of 2022, trade volume has reached $91.2 billion, an increase of 16% year on year. India’s exports to China have decreased by 36.70% year on year to reach $12.62 billion, while India’s imports from China have increased by 33.90% to reach $78.58 billion. The trade deficit came at $69.56 billion, increasing by 51.53% year on year.
