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14 BUSINESSLINK<br />
<strong>Feb</strong>ruary <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2016</strong><br />
We are at least talking of trade boost with India<br />
Grahame Morton (New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India), Sunil Kaushal, Subhas<br />
Aggarwal, (Chairman, National Council on Microfinance, ASSOCHAM), Arvind Kumar<br />
(Advisor, ASSOCHAM), Babu Lal Jain (Member of Managing Committee, ASSOCHAM)<br />
Venkat Raman<br />
venkat@indiannewslink.co.nz<br />
New Zealand and India<br />
have spent almost ten<br />
years speaking about<br />
the need to get closer<br />
on economic cooperation and<br />
bilateral trade but statistics<br />
prove that the desire is yet to<br />
become reality.<br />
While China has become<br />
our largest trading partner<br />
within this period, two-way<br />
merchandise exports and<br />
imports between New Zealand<br />
and India remains modest<br />
at about $1.2 billion and the<br />
much talked-about Free Trade<br />
Agreement (FTA) remains as<br />
distant it was in November 2007<br />
when ‘serious intensions’ were<br />
expressed by both governments.<br />
However, that does not mean,<br />
there are little or no opportunities<br />
to foster better ties<br />
with India governmental and<br />
non-governmental levels. New<br />
Zealand now has an opportunity<br />
to witness the transformation<br />
and resurgence of a young,<br />
confident and optimistic nation<br />
that will be the new hero in<br />
tomorrow’s global drama.<br />
Our engagement with India is<br />
very timely and strategic.<br />
Complex Economy<br />
As we have always said,<br />
India is a complex country with<br />
diversity of views and needs<br />
and any dialogue on bilateral relations<br />
should take into account<br />
the ambitions of its teeming<br />
millions and the economy’s<br />
changing requirements.<br />
Negotiators, diplomats and<br />
experts on India have often<br />
said that governments of either<br />
country should direct their<br />
energies in supporting private<br />
initiatives and encourage business-to-business<br />
relationship<br />
and people-to-people dialogue.<br />
The federal government in<br />
New Delhi is promoting its<br />
new concept of ‘Make in India’<br />
Programme, as a measure of not<br />
only increasing productivity but<br />
also becoming a global supplier<br />
of goods, in addition to services,<br />
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi with (from left) Sujata Sudarshan (Regional Director, ASEAN &<br />
ANZ, CII); Sunil Kaushal, Jane Cunliffe (Trade Commissioner, North India), Subhabrata<br />
Haldar (Senior Vice-President IIDC), Rajesh Menon (Deputy Director General, CII) A V<br />
Rajamany (Deputy Director ASEAN & ANZ, CII)<br />
which it has been providing<br />
through its engineering, software<br />
and consultancy skills.<br />
PPP works<br />
Public-Private Partnership<br />
also works, as evidenced in<br />
Auckland on <strong>Feb</strong>ruary 11, <strong>2016</strong><br />
when the India New Zealand<br />
Business Council organised a<br />
meeting enabling the <strong>Indian</strong><br />
High Commission Charge de<br />
Affaires Sandeep Sood to speak<br />
about the ‘Make in India Week’<br />
(marked in India from <strong>Feb</strong>ruary<br />
13 to 18, <strong>2016</strong>).<br />
A separate report of this event<br />
appears elsewhere in this issue.<br />
India Trade Alliance (ITA)<br />
established about six months<br />
ago, created similar impact in<br />
January by forging relationships<br />
with a number of industry<br />
organisations in Delhi.<br />
ITA General Secretary Sunil<br />
Kaushal signed a Memorandum<br />
of Understanding (MoU) each<br />
with the Associated Chambers<br />
of Commerce & Industry (ASSO-<br />
CHAM) and the Confederation of<br />
<strong>Indian</strong> Industry (CII).<br />
“ASSOCHAM has in its<br />
fold more than 400 Industry<br />
Chambers, Trade Associations<br />
and serves more than 450,000<br />
Corporate Members from all<br />
over India. Speaking to its<br />
members, New Zealand High<br />
Commissioner Grahame Morton<br />
reiterated our government’s<br />
commitment to engage with<br />
India bilaterally, culturally,<br />
academically and in sporting<br />
relations,” Mr Kaushal said.<br />
CII is India’s premier business<br />
association with more than<br />
7100 members, from the<br />
private as well as public sectors,<br />
including multinationals and<br />
small and medium enterprises<br />
and an indirect membership<br />
of over 100,000 enterprises<br />
from around 240 national<br />
and regional sectoral industry<br />
bodies,” he added.<br />
Common platform<br />
ITA Chairman Giri Gupta<br />
claimed that his organisation<br />
has commenced <strong>2016</strong> strengthening<br />
links with these premier<br />
bodies.<br />
Sunil Kaushal with India’s Foreign<br />
Secretary Dr S Jaishankar<br />
“For New Zealand businesses<br />
to work closer with <strong>Indian</strong> counterparts,<br />
we need collaborative<br />
working relationships with<br />
businesses in India to establish<br />
a platform for Kiwi firms to<br />
engage at the business level,”he<br />
said.<br />
Among those present at the<br />
MoU signing ceremony with<br />
CII were National Member of<br />
Parliament Kanwaljit Singh<br />
Bakshi, New Zealand Trade<br />
Commissioner (North India)<br />
Jane Cunliffe.<br />
While in India, Mr Kaushal<br />
also met senior <strong>Indian</strong> officials<br />
at External Affairs and Trade<br />
Ministries, including Foreign<br />
Secretary Dr S Jaishankar, Trade<br />
Negotiator Arvind Mehta and<br />
Joint Secretary (South)J aideep<br />
Mazumdar.<br />
He also met India’s new High<br />
Commissioner to New Zealand<br />
Sanjiv Kohli. As reported in our<br />
January <strong>15</strong>, <strong>2016</strong> issue, he is<br />
expected to arrive in Wellington<br />
to begin his tour of duty in New<br />
Zealand this fortnight.<br />
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