The 9th K2K Forum is convened in Kolkata, India.[news.ynxxb.com]

Kong Can(孔灿), the team leader of the Yunnan delegation for the forum, is talking to Indian delegation representatives on the forum.[File Photo]

Background: Mr. Xi Jinping, President of China, had several fruitful meetings this year with Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh exchanged visits within the same calendar year, the first time since 1954. The high-level interactions have brought China-India relations into a new stage of development. The foundation and bonds of China-India ties have been strengthened and understanding and friendship between the two peoples greatly deepened. This year is "the Year of Harvest" for China-India relations.

Kunming and Kolkata had paired off sister cities under witness of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month. Beijing and Delhi, Chengdu and Bangalore also established sister city relations at the same time.

The 9th meet of K2K(Kolkata 2 Kunming) Forum was held in Kolkata on November 21st and 22nd. It was the ninth annual session and used to be held in Kunming and Kolkata alternatively.

A 20-member delegation from China, with an additional 25-30 business representatives from Yunnan province, are scheduled to participate in the forum. A corresponding team of business representatives and various chambers that are among the commercial bodies from India also participated.

The forum, started at the sub-regional level in the beginning, is to promote mutual understanding between India and China through increased interactions in the fields of economy, culture and academics.

IANS reported that the forum would focus on seven sectors for great exchange and collaboration between India and Yunnan. These sectors include agriculture and food processing, non-conventional energy (solar), textile, leather, tea and jute products, tourism and IT.

Some Yunnan's well-known enterprises have attended the forum, looking for cooperation and investment opportunities in India.

Yang Huimei, an officer from Yunnan Provincial Commerce Department introduced the bilateral trade conditions between Yunnan and India. She said: "Bilateral trade between Yunnan and India in the latest two years is not very stable according to statistical data. The bilateral trade is even dropping."

"Until now, the trade between Yunnan and India is restricted to goods trade, but not service trade. The trade pattern between the two sides is very limited. Besides, Yunnan only imported a few kinds of goods from India, maintained a simple commodity trade structure with India."

"At present, India has invested 9 small-scale projects that are related to consulting industry in Yunnan, with an amount of 360,000 US dollars; Yunnan also signed two agreements with India for constructing 2 electricity power stations, which are worth 10.41 million US dollars."

Official data showed that trade volume between Yunnan and India in 2012 amounted to 460 million US dollars, with a year-on-year decrease of 45.3%; trade volume between Yunnan and India in the first 9 months of 2013 reached 357 million US dollars, with a year-on-year decline of 4.3%.

State governor of West Bengal gives a speech on the forum. [news.ynxxb.com]

Meanwhile, range of bilateral trade goods is still restricted, mainly confined to resource-based chemical products. Yunnan primarily exported phosphatic fertilizer, carbamide, yellow phosphorus to India. India exported iron ore, lead-zinc ore, etc. to Yunnan. Yunnan's state-owned enterprises such as Yuntianhua Group, Kunming Iron&Steel Holding Co., Ltd. played important roles for bilateral trade between Yunnan and India.

Yang Huimei, an officer of Yunnan Commerce Department thinks that Yunnan and India has great economic complementation. Yunnan's distinctive farm products, mechanical products could satisfy Indian market demands. Indian software, service outsourcing, pharmacy could meet both Yunnan and China's demands.

Nevertheless, K2K forum involves economic, trade cooperation and cross-cultural communication.

Zhang Lizhong, consul-general of China's Embassy to Kolkata, said that tourism potential between Yunnan and north-east part of India is very large. He suggested that two parties could consider strengthening cooperation in terms of tourism as soon as possible.

An Indian officer from West Bengal also suggested that Yunnan and five eastern states of India should particularly enhance tourism cooperation. The officer introduced that Chinese people are familiar with Buddhism culture resources such as Boddhgaya and Nalanda Monastery, which are located in eastern states of India.

This Indian officer appealed to Chinese travelers for paying more attention to tourism resources in these five eastern states of India. Direct flight between Kunming and Kalkata has facilitated tourism cooperation a lot.

Krishnan Srinivasan, the former diplomat, as the team leader of the Indian delegation for K2K forum, expressed his high expectations to the forum. He stated: "Both India and China are important members on the international stage in 21st century. Although two countries have to face kinds of different challenges in this century, and their bilateral trade slackened in recent years, India has set a trade volume target of 100-billion US dollars with China."

Krishnan Srinivasan believed that the target could be accomplished if India and China resolved to eliminate long-standing obstacles.

Kong Can, deputy head of Yunnan Provincial Government Development Research Center, was also the team leader of the Yunnan delegation for the forum. He concluded that they would focus more on exchange visits between provincial and state governments in next step, staring from the forum.

He also offered his suggestions on enhancing two sides' cooperation. First, the related scholars shall expedite research on construction of Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic corridor. Second, India and China can establish an information exchange website together. Third, both countries shall speed up constructions of Indian and Chinese Industrial Parks, and deepen friendly relations between sister cities, Kunming and Kolkata.

Regarding development of K2K Forum in following 10 year, Kong Can said that Yunnan province should promote a substantial start, to transfer study theory about Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic corridor into action.

He even stressed that cooperation and communication mechanism between Yunnan and India in multiple areas should be launched now. "With the established mechanism, governments, scholars, businessmen, artists, and professors in both countries can communicate more freely and frankly," Kong Can remarked.

(Editors: Cathy Chen, Lynn)