ICC Jan-Feb 2019

An India-China Economic and Cultural Council publication

January-February 2019 • ` 100

First recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from mainland China

Chinese Tourism to India:

Efforts Made For Growth, Challenges That Remain Tian Xin

Dr. Das Bikash Kali

China, India must work hard to attract more tourists from each other

From student in China to brand ambassador for India and Puducherry

Rajni Shaleen Chopra

Nazia Vasi

Incredible India: Challenges, opportunities for tourism growth

From Namaste to Ni Hao: The growth of Mandarin language in the Indian consciousness

Vilas Kale

Tiger Country: Vidarbha waits for Chinese tourists Kiki Zhang

Chinna Chinna Aasai: Learning and teaching Tamil in China

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Vol 6, Issue 2, Jan-Feb 2019 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mohammed Saqib EXECUTIVE EDITOR Rajni Shaleen Chopra EDITORIAL BOARD Mani Shankar Aiyar PS Deodhar Prof Haixiao Song Dilip Cherian Shaodong Wang Amir Ullah Khan EDITORIAL TEAM Irfan Alam Audrey Tso Aishita Shukla DESIGN Manoj Raikwar OWNED, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY Mohammed Saqib Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India under RNI No: DELENG/2011/43423 PUBLISHED FROM A-82, Zakir Bagh, New Delhi - 110025 ADDRESS FOR ALL CORRESPONDENCE India-China Chronicle B-59 (GF), South Extension - II, New Delhi - 110049 Telefax: 011-46550348 PRINTED AT Aleena Prints Mr. Naved Rasheed Block Z-II, 378, Shahadra, Delhi-110053 Mobile:+91-9582345886 E-mail : aleenaprints@gmail.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

All advertising enquiries, comments and feedback are welcome at info@icec-council.org The information contained in this magazine has been reviewed for accuracy and is deemed reliable but is not necessarily complete or guaranteed by the Editor. The views expressed in this digest are solely that of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC).

China’s space exploration programs generate global interest

T

he space race is getting interesting. Nasa’s New Horizons probe successfully carried out a flyby of an icy world some 6.5bn km (4bn miles) away. India announced that it will send a three-member team into space for the first time in 2022. And China, a relative late-bloomer in the world of space exploration, became the first country to successfully land a robotic spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. China has announced plans to build a new space station, along with a base on the Moon, and also conduct missions to Mars. Calling it a step in the path of the country’s “national rejuvenation”, China has committed billions of dollars to its “space dream”.

Globally, nations have regarded space exploration and their space expansion programs as markers of both hard power and soft power. BBC News spoke of the classic triad that has driven investment in space for about 50 years. It said China has been open about the value of space exploration in terms of increasing its standing on the world stage.

The BBC report quoted Prof Keith Hayward, a fellow of the UK’s Royal Aeronautical Society, who said China is driven by the same motivations as the US, Russia and others. “First, demand from the military, without which you would not have had half the money going in. Second, as a good way to show off. You could say that this is the space Silk Road - it demonstrates China is a force to be reckoned with. Third, hitherto untapped resources which have the potential to make whoever finds them wealthy.”

In 2006, Prof Ouyang Ziyuan, one of China’s top scientists, told the state’s official newspaper People’s Daily, “Lunar exploration is a reflection of a country’s comprehensive national power. It is significant for raising our international prestige and increasing our people’s cohesion.”

The significance of China’s space ambitions has been recognized globally. Writing in The Diplomat in December 2018, senior analyst and author Dr. Namrata Goswami observed that there was clear direction in China’s space expansion program. She wrote, “China’s achievements in space follow an incremental strategy of developing its space capacity, first securing the ability to send humans into outer space, followed by robotic missions that both enable space science and build its capacity for longterm presence, then launching its permanent space station, to be followed by deep space exploration and exploitation. Toward this effort, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has committed its resources and leadership focus on building both capacity (civil and military) and legitimacy for its outer space missions. For China, space, like its engagements in the Antarctic continent, offers both the possibility for science as well as future resources from the moon and asteroids.”

Dr Goswami was astute in calling out the prejudice of the Western media towards China. In her report on China’s space program, she wrote in The Diplomat that Western media coverage tends to ignore or deliberately downplay the communist nation’s space achievements. She noted that China’s strategy is to establish longterm mission goals for outer space, incrementally build its space capacity and institutions and demonstrate technological prowess.

A question oft asked in the media is whether we now have a space race between the USA and China, and whether it is a matter of concern. Wendy Whitman Cobb, a space policy researcher and associate professor of political science at Cameron University in the USA, wrote in Pacific Standard that her answer would be ‘yes’ and ‘no’. “Even if China’s rise heralds a new space race, not all consequences will be negative,” she concluded.

Editor-in-Chief Mohammed Saqib

Anguish against China for support to Pakistan on Jaish chief Masood Azhar

I

ndians admire China for its phenomenal rise, and also its growing influence and power on the world stage. Chinese investment in various sectors of the Indian economy and strong trade links are appreciated in India. But there are thorns in this cozy relationship. Indians get suspicious about the Chinese Army’s incursions across the border. The Doklam crisis brought these fears center-stage.

The terror strike by Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which killed 40 Indian paramilitary police and injured many others in Pulwama in Kashmir, has impacted public sentiment about China. The anguish against China is because of its consistent opposition to list the UN-proscribed Pakistan-based terror group’s chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

The Pulwama attack took place on February 14.

An Op-Ed carried by Global Times on February 17 placed the onus of terrorism on the victim.

Global Times is owned by People’s Daily, an official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

“Beijing has reiterated its stand several times that New Delhi should provide solid facts and proofs for banning Azhar… Without solid evidence, India has long accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorist attacks by Jaish-e-Mohammed and other militant groups and China of providing uncritical support for Pakistan,” said the op-ed in Global Times.

On February 20, The Indian Express (IE), one of India’s top newspapers, carried a report that Pakistan has been sitting on “actionable intelligence” against Jaish-e-Mohammad for years, and has taken no action against Masood Azhar.

After thorough probes, Azhar was named by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in two key investigations: the 2001 Parliament and the 2016 Pathankot attacks. Two Red Corner notices were issued against Azhar by the Interpol, first in 2004 for the attack on Parliament and in 2016 for his role in the Pathankot airbase attack, said IE. New Delhi’s attempts to list Azhar at the UNSC have been repeatedly blocked by China. After the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot on January 2016, India proposed to designate Azhar as a global terrorist. China intervened at Pakistan’s behest and placed a technical hold on India’s move in March and again in October 2016. It subsequently used its veto power to block the proposal in December 2016, a day before the technical hold ended.

In January 2017, China again employed a technical hold and blocked a proposal put forward by the US, the UK and France to designate Azhar as a terrorist. India had started pushing for Azhar’s listing since 2008-09, after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and even then China had put a technical hold.

A report in IE said that in blocking global action against Azhar, Beijing wants to protect its ‘all weather’ ally in South Asia and its business interests in CPEC. It also wants to keep India under pressure, and make a point to the US. State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in India in December for the high-level people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism. Prof Srikanth Kondapalli of the Centre for East Asian Studies at JNU’s School of International Studies said in an IE analysis that China is keen to tap the Indian consumer market. Prof Kondapalli warned that if China’s actions are seen as blatantly damaging to India, as in the Masood Azhar case, public sentiment may turn against it. “In diplomacy, this cannot be quantified, but it is very significant,” Prof Kondapalli said.

The Global Times Op-Ed admitted that the proscription of Azhar is a contentious issue that can impede China-India relations. Some Chinese scholars advise that China take India’s concerns more into account.

Executive Editor Rajni Shaleen Chopra

CONTENTS COVER STORY

Chinese Tourism to India: Efforts made for growth, Challenges that remain 4 10 On its road towards becoming a global superpower, India can learn much from China Amit Waikar

14 China, India must work hard to attract more tourists from each other Tian Xin

20 From student in China to brand ambassador for India and Puducherry Dr. Das Bikash Kali

26 Tiger Country: Vidarbha waits for Chinese tourists Vilas Kale

36 For China, 62 billion reasons to be cautious in India-Pakistan crisis Ananth Krishnan

40 India losing trade battle with China: 80% of two-way business last year was imports Ananth Krishnan

44 From Namaste to Ni Hao: The growth of Mandarin language in the Indian consciousness Nazia Vasi

50 Chinna Chinna Aasai: Learning and teaching Tamil in China Kiki Zhang

56 China to complete artificial sun device this year: official PTI report

30 Incredible India: Challenges, opportunities for tourism growth Rajni Shaleen Chopra

57 Gupshup 63 Recent ICEC events January-February 2019 â–Ş

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INCREDIBLE INDIA MORE TOURISTS FROM CHINA

Chinese Tourism to India

Efforts made for growth, Challenges that remain More Chinese tourists should come to India

 Amit Waikar

C

hina is the driver for the global tourism market.

More than 100 million Chinese tourists visit international destinations every year. Chinese tourists are the largest group of travelers worldwide.

They are also increasingly spending more.

Thailand receives 10 million Chinese tourists every year. South Korea receives 9 million Chinese tourists annually.

India’s civilization is more than 7,000 years old. India is home to more than 70 percent of the Himalayas, and has a 7,500 km (4660 miles) coastline. We have amazing heritage and culture, palaces, castles, monuments, cave carvings and an enviable range of handicrafts and handlooms. But Chinese tourists to India number only in lakhs, not in millions.

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▪ January-February 2019

There are numerous more possibilities that can be initiated in order to fully tap the lucrative Chinese market and ensure that the tourism inflow to India increases.

According to a report by Ms Gauri Bhatia published by CNBC in October 2018, tourist arrivals to India grew by 14 percent in 2017 compared to the global growth of 7 percent. Tourism receipts were also above the global average, according to official Indian figures.

The CNBC report said that in 2017, 145 million Chinese traveled abroad, according to the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute. Chinese tourists also spent $258 billion in 2017, almost double what their American counterparts did in the same year, according to data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The fact that only 247,000 Chinese visited India in 2017 became a matter of opportunity for Indian policymakers.

I am happy to observe that India’s efforts to attract more Chinese tourists to India have started in earnest. Huge steps are being taken to realize India’s potential as an attractive destination for Chinese tourists. The initiatives include linking yoga and the many colourful festivals of India to the Indian tourism circuits being promoted in China. The Indian embassy in China is taking the lead in this regard.

It has organized many shows to promote domestic tourism.

Initiatives taken by India to attract more Chinese tourists In September 2018, a major ‘India Tourism Roadshow’ was organized in multiple cities across China. The grandest show was hosted in Shanghai on September 4. The seriousness with which India is investing in tourist inflow from China is evident from the fact that Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mr. K J Alphons, Tourism Minister of Maharashtra Mr. Jayakumar Rawal and Director General of India Tourism Mr. Satyajeet Rajan along with respective

department officers were present for the show.

Speaking about the efforts to make tourism contribute more to the economy, Mr. Alphons remarked that if India wanted earnings from foreign tourists to jump from $27 billion currently to $100 billion in the next five years, it would need China's help.

The CNBC report stated that despite the relatively low numbers, India is a short-haul destination and Chinese carriers have 25 flights a week to Indian metros from different Chinese cities.

“Some blame it on the fact that rising political tensions from border skirmishes have had an impact, while others feel India has just not marketed itself aggressively in China,” wrote Ms Bhatia.

I have come across media reports over the last few years that India did not make a concerted effort to attract Chinese tourists. That is changing now.

Mr. Rajan said India urgently needed a strategy to crack the China market, and attract at least one per cent of the Chinese outbound tourists in 2019. The strategy, he said, was “make the Chinese happy, give them their food and speak their language.”

During the high-profile visit of Mr. Alphons, the Indian team met potential Chinese investors who could build hotels in India catering specifically to Chinese tourists, and set up language institutes teaching Mandarin. I saw the Indian consulate in Shanghai ably led by Consul General of India in Shanghai, Mr. Anil Rai, work tirelessly to make this event a grand success.

Enthusiastic participation of the Indian community in China The overwhelming involvement and participation by the Indian community in Shanghai was a significant part of the roadshow organized by the Indian embassy. Members of the Indian community put up many booths depicting the tourist and cultural attractions of

Amit Waikar is the first recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from mainland China. The award was conferred upon him in January 2019

Huge steps are being taken to realize India’s potential as an attractive destination for Chinese tourists.

The initiatives include linking yoga and the many colourful festivals of India to the Indian tourism circuits being promoted in China

January-February 2019 ▪

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INCREDIBLE INDIA MORE TOURISTS FROM CHINA

Some tourism agencies in Delhi and Rajasthan are catering diligently to the requirements of the Chinese tourists.

They have developed day-long programs full of typically Indian activities that tourists love

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various Indian states. What a sight it was to see throngs of our Chinese friends from Shanghai queuing to wear the Maharashtrian naath and Paithini saree at the Maharashtra pavilion or Sikh turban at the Punjab pavilion. At the Kerala pavilion, the Chinese loved trying out the Kasavu saree and take selfies.

It was equally a marvelous moment for me to see the large gathering enjoy the diverse Indian food that was served.

India has realized that tourism can be the game changer for its economy. Shri Jayakumar Rawal interacted with major tourist agencies in Shanghai. He invited them to visit Maharashtra and offered them a week long state-sponsored visit to various tourist attractions. “Seeing is believing,” he told me. “Once these agencies see what Maharashtra has to offer and they get convinced, they will for sure get the tourists here.” Such initiative shown by all states will bring huge gains to India.

▪ January-February 2019

Making the selfie-focused tourist happy During my interactions with the tourist agencies in Shanghai, one important and rather funny aspect I learnt about the tourists from China is that most of them, especially the young Chinese tourists are selfie-focused. He/she needs a selfie moment every half hour. So if we are talking about Project Tiger in Vidarbha, we must not assume that a morning safari and an evening safari will make the tourist happy.

The tourism destinations must have an agenda for the whole day. Pottery, fishing, carpet making, village art, rangoli – the whole day must be packed with diverse activities.

During my interactions with the tourist agencies in Shanghai, I also learnt that Chinese tourists love to go to Rajasthan. I was happy to be informed that some tourism agencies in Delhi and Rajasthan are catering diligently to the

requirements of the Chinese tourists.

They have developed day-long programs full of typically Indian activities that these tourists love. We must develop highly attractive packages for tourists in all parts of India. We must draw from our rich heritage and culture to design these packages. We also need to connect with big tour operators in China. The day and age is gone where we just put up some billboards to attract tourists.

Small steps that go a long way to attract tourists When Chinese tourists land in Thailand, they are welcomed by Thais who converse with them in Mandarin, and are able to guide them regarding their every need.

We must have a similar arrangement in India. To begin with, it can be done at major destinations favored by Chinese tourists. Most Chinese come to India in groups. They are accompanied by a tourguide. It will be good if the government facilitates them further by engaging Indians who speak in Mandarin, to welcome and guide them as needed. That little extra effort will need to be done.

Here again, I was very impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment received from Mr. Rawal that Maharashtra government will arrange for such facilities at its international airports. Mandarinspeaking guides have been appointed at some airports in India, and the facility

The overwhelming involvement and participation by the Indian community in Shanghai was a significant part of the tourism road-show organized by the Indian embassy January-February 2019 â–Ş

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INCREDIBLE INDIA MORE TOURISTS FROM CHINA

should be extended to all international or domestic airports which Chinese tourists use in large numbers. Such proactiveness is needed to make the tourism industry grow.

Indian movies can spread awareness, draw Chinese tourists Indian movies have become phenomenally popular in China in the last few years. India can lean on the soft power of its commercial cinema to draw more Chinese tourists.

Thanks to China’s newfound love for Bollywood, the lack of awareness regarding India has been dealt with effectively.

Courtesy our superstar Aamir Khan and his films 3 Idiots and Dangal, many Chinese have discovered that India isn’t a poor country! These films encouraged

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many Chinese tourists to visit India and explore beautiful landscapes. We need to build on this awareness. The Chinese should know that India has beautiful landscapes, cultural destinations and nearby cities have modern infrastructure, including five-star hotels, resorts and boutique hotels where they can enjoy their stay.

Indo-China movie projects will also boost tourism. After the mega success of Bollywood in China, Indian film studios are in touch with film studios in China. Talks of Indo-Chinese joint film productions are underway. These will work well to give a push to India’s appeal as a tourism destination for the Chinese.

There are many more opportunities for us to pitch in here. For example, the growth of tourism in Korea was supported partially through the popularity of

▪ January-February 2019

Korean TV serials in China. Would it not be amazing if our Indian TV serials were loved by Chinese audiences!

For India-bound tourism to prosper, a particular awareness and attraction for India needs to be created in the minds of Chinese people. Bollywood and our TV serials are good mediums to create it.

More Chinese tourists coming to India will create a stronger ‘people-to-people connect’ between our two great nations.

Indians living in China must act as brand ambassadors There are about 70,000 Indians in China.

We must be closely aligned with India.

We all must act as brand ambassadors for our nation.

In order to do my own personal bit to promote India tourism within China,

India’s strategy to crack the China market, and attract at least one per cent of the Chinese outbound tourists in 2019, is to “make the Chinese happy, give them their food and speak their language” I focused on my home town, Nagpur and the region that it represents – Vidharbha. This region has so much to offer. Vidarbha is home to Project Tiger.

Vidharbha Industrial Association (VIA) played a vital role in helping me promote tourism locally. They provided me with the opportunity to interact with tourist agencies in Vidharbha. I studied the diverse tourism attractions that Vidarbha has to offer. I was happy to act as a connect between the tourist operators in Vidarbha and Shanghai.

There are other ways too, in which Indians living in China can promote Destination India for tourism. Take the Kumbh mela, for example. It is the world’s biggest human gathering. After I was conferred with the Pravasi Bharatiya Award, I went to Prayag Raj with the other awardees. It was an amazing experience.

I shared photographs of the Kumbh Mela, and also the entire spiritual experience, on Chinese social media platforms. My effort was to make the Chinese aware of the Kumbh Mela and share with them the joy of this spiritual congregation.

If any Indians who live, work or study in China are in India at the time of major festivals, they must bring back great

photographs and promote them on social media in China.

Given our connectivity and linkages in the Chinese society, we can spread the message of the amazing experience of Kumbh and our cheerful, colourful festivals. This is how we can act as brand ambassadors for India. This alignment with India needs to happen. 

January-February 2019 ▪

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NAGPUR TO SHANGHAI LOVE OF COUNTRY

On its road towards becoming a

global superpower, India can learn much from China

The author receiving the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind and First Lady Smt Savita Kovind

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â–ª January-February 2019

 Amit Waikar

T

he wisdom of China relates, among other things, to learning and adapting. Of specific interest to India is the China experience of how it managed to raise itself out of poverty.

Around the late 70s, the majority of China was at or below the poverty line.

Today, that number is well below ten per cent. It is estimated that 600 to 700 million people have been amazingly, positively affected in the last 25 to 30 years by China’s mass industrialization.

Lives of generations have changed rapidly. These parts of the China story are highly relevant for India.

I don’t really consider myself a NonResident Indian (NRI). I come to India about four times a year. I am deeply impacted by the problems faced by my nation. Poverty, the eradication of diseases – these issues concern me much. The medical fraternity of India is deeply engrossed in dealing with simple diseases like malaria, dengue, typhoid and cholera that continue to afflict our nation. We can learn from China how it has tackled these.

There can be a balance on this.

From India, China can source qualitycontrolled global standard drugs such as cancer fighting drugs at a reasonable price. In turn, China can support India in its flight towards managing sanitation, eradicating common diseases. Like China, India needs to achieve civic society cleanliness at mass level.

This is what our government is saying – that we need to make this happen. We can benefit by co-opting China in our growth story.

Important to delink political differences from economic engagement During my decade-long stay in China, I have observed how the Chinese think.

Watching them has made me change perspective in some significant ways. I have

found that China has an amazing ability to be able to keep their political issues/ differences separate from economics and business. The result is that countries with different political systems are China's biggest allies. This also has led to China having business/economic alliances across multiple nations having different political systems.

I am part of that Indian mindset, where we tend to extend our political differences to business or trade spheres.

I have the same thinking – that if we have a political issue or disagreement with a nation, we convert that into an economic disagreement. I think this makes the world a little fearful about investing in India. It is very likely for investing nations to get worried about their investments in India.

To ensure greater economic success of our nation, we have to change and alter our mindset.

Import brands, import technology – develop domestic ecosystems There is this smart, long-term thinking that I observed in China. China did not simply allow investment to come in blindly. China ensured that along attracting FDI, it was able to tap into the technology aspect as well.

China can access quality-controlled global standard cancer fighting drugs from India at a very reasonable price. In turn, China can support India in managing sanitation, eradicating common diseases

For example, when USA or Europe wanted to sell cars in China, China did not simply attract FDI, but also enabled them to design and produce these cars locally in China. Along with this China also ensured that most of the individual components needed for these cars were domestically sourced. This ensured that in multiple cities across China, large ancillary eco-systems for automotive manufacturing were set up.

Thus, it was not only about assembling the car in China. It was about manufacturing it from the scratch.

Second, China ensured that when investment came in, so did the technology. They became part of that technology to be able to understand and nurture it. They set up well-equipped design institutes/knowledge centers where they could study and learn from these technologies, and further develop them for future needs.

Now, China is making cars that are not only as good as those made by Americans or Europeans, but also in some spheres better than them. China allowed the technology to come in, learnt from it and then adapted the technology not just for the present, but for future use also.

One of the leading Chinese auto players is BYD, the acronym for Build Your Dreams. The company was founded in February 1995 and began as a rechargeable-battery factory competing in the Chinese market against Japanese imports. It is now making cars with the latest technology, pilot-less cars, vehicles that run on new technology fuel, hybrid cars.

By 2030, BYD’s vision is to be a global leader in New Energy Vehicles (electric cars).

Today, we are happy to see that mobile handsets are produced in India.

I am glad to see that most of these foreign/Chinese mobile phone brands are partly manufacturing these phones in India. Now the next step would be the Government- Industry tie up where such design institutes/knowledge centers are set up which are able to completely

January-February 2019 ▪

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NAGPUR TO SHANGHAI LOVE OF COUNTRY China has an amazing ability to be able to keep their political rivalry separate from economics and business. The result is that countries with different political systems are China's biggest allies

understand the technology to build smart phones, and also adapt the technology for next generation innovation.

I fully support incoming investment.

At the same time, I would like to see India focusing on getting the know-how and technology as well.

Today, India has become a major hub for low cost smart phones. It is good that with part of smart phone manufacturing coming to India, we have also created jobs. Once we focus on evolving and investing in the technology for producing these cost effective smart phones, there is no reason why India, along with China cannot be the power-house for the next generation smart phones in the world.

I often interact with students in India at diverse educational institutes. They sometimes say in jest that the Chinese are just a low cost manufacturer. My point to them is – please broaden your vision.

China today produces approximately 80 % of the high end/technologically advanced drones being used globally.

This doesn’t happen merely by being a low cost manufacturing source.

Thus our focus needs to be – how does my country India get to the top league when it comes to being the manufacturing powerhouse of technology-aided next generation products and solutions.

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India First There are 50 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) all over the world. Only 30 get selected once every two years for the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award. Amit Waikar is the first recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from mainland China. At 43, he is also among the youngest recipients ever of the award. The award is given to Non Resident Indians for their outstanding contribution in the field of business, in recognition of their valuable contribution in promoting the honour and prestige of India, and in fostering the interests of overseas Indians.

Amit Waikar, Senior Vice President Asia with Doehler food & Beverage Bilingual Sanad/scroll of appreciation for the author under the hand and the seal of the ingredients Co. Ltd, has been based at President of India Shanghai for ten years. He served as the President, Indian Association Shanghai from 2012 to 2016. Amit spearheaded PM Narendra Modi's hugely successful community event in Shanghai in May 2015. He is closely connected with socially impactful organizations like the Ramakrishna Mission, where he has been nominated as a life member.

Amit is on the board of Garje Marathi Foundation, a group mentored by Padma Vibhushan Dr. Mashelkar. The core aim of the group is to connect people from Maharashtra spread across the world and to synergize efforts to give back to their roots and to Mother India.

Amit is a board member with Nagpur First, a non-profit organization with vision of being a catalyst towards making Nagpur a global city by 2020.

Over the last few years, Amit has keenly interacted with people from diverse backgrounds and shared with them his knowledge about China. He was invited to deliver a talk at the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha during the regular session of the state legislature at Nagpur in July 2018.

Amit has been regularly encouraging and supporting visits and study tours of Indian students to China. Recently, he helped organize the visit of architecture students from BNCA Pune to Beijing and Shanghai in November 2018.

Let us decide that there are few industries where we will focus to be the best in the world. These could be – mobile phones, equipment and technology for solar energy, equipment and technology for wind energy, technology for superfast trains.

Of course we need foreign investment to come in for these industries. We must leverage the strength of our domestic market for these spheres. We also need

▪ January-February 2019

to have a plan wherein we adapt and get better than the initiators.

Let us take the case of solar energy. We are getting solar panels from China and other places. What I want to hear about is ground-breaking research in India on solar technology. The research must be so sound and future-oriented that we become the top player in solar technology in the world.

We have land and we have ample

The author welcoming PM Narendra Modi at the Indian community reception in Shanghai in May 2015

sunshine. We need to work hard to be at the top in harnessing solar technology.

There can be government– private partnership. There can be universities that tie up and pool resources to achieve this objective.

Build strong industrial, manufacturing base – cultivate and ecosystem India needs to build a strong industrial

ecosystem. The members of such ecosystem will bring in capital. They will create jobs.

Let us select top five sectors and provide what they need to get to the top – to be the number one in the world in their respective sector. That is what happened with the mobile phone industry in China. The support provided by the Chinese government helped these industries soar.

During the last ten years, I have observed that the Chinese are fond of India.

For them, India is the land of Buddha, who is highly revered all across China.

Ayurveda, yoga, spirituality – these are held in high regard in China. I have found most Chinese to be positive or neutral about India. In ten years, I have not heard any starkly negative remark about India. 

January-February 2019 ▪

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SINO-INDIAN TOURISM HUGE POTENTIAL

China, India must work hard to attract more tourists from each other

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â–ª January-February 2019

Both countries must promote knowledge and understanding of their tourism resources, increase number of flight cities, total flights

January-February 2019 â–Ş

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SINO-INDIAN TOURISM HUGE POTENTIAL  Tian Xin

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hina and India are neighboring countries with long history of friendly exchanges. There are many convenient conditions, huge space for growth and bright prospects for Sino-India tourism exchanges and cooperation.

In April 2018, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Modi held an informal meeting in Hubei Province, China. The two leaders showed great vision, pointed out the direction for the development of bilateral relations and planned a blueprint. The relationship between the two countries has opened a new historic chapter, heading on a healthy track of peaceful coexistence, mutual benefit, win-win relationship, mutual learning and referencing, common development and prosperity. In the informal meeting, the leaders of the two countries unanimously expressed

16

the need to enhance and expand cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

Tourism is an important part of cultural exchanges, an effective way to increase mutual understanding, knowledge and friendship between the peoples of the two countries. It is an effective bridge and a link between the two countries and their peoples. The people associated with the tourism industry in China and India have the responsibility and obligation to implement the consensus reached by the leaders on enhancing humanities

▪ January-February 2019

exchanges between the two countries.

We should make our contribution to strengthen bilateral relations, to increase mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries, and to promote cooperation and development.

Huge growth potential China and India have many natural advantages and favorable conditions for achieving higher tourism exchanges.

China and India are the two most populous countries in the world, with a huge

China and India are the two most populous countries in the world, with a huge tourist source market. The two countries have stable politics, good economic performance, stable and peaceful society. All these form the solid foundation for the development of tourism in our two countries

tourist source market. The two countries have stable politics, good economic performance, stable and peaceful society.

All these form the solid foundation for the development of tourism of our two countries. China and India are close neighbours. The time needed to travel between the two countries is short, and the cost is low. Both the countries have rich and unique tourism resources and strong complementarities, which are very attractive to tourists from the other country. The traffic is convenient because there are many direct flights linking different cities of the two countries. Also, goods prices and consumption levels of the two countries are close, which can be easily accepted by tourists from the other country.

China boasts of largest outbound tourists The potential tourist source market of both China and India is huge. China is the largest outbound tourist source market in the world. In 2017, the number of

outbound tourists in China reached more than 130 million, and outbound spending was $115.29 billion. Chinese outbound tourists are widely valued and welcomed by the destination countries.

At present, Chinese citizens travel abroad mainly in short distance destination countries. According to the statistics, at present, China has become the largest inbound tourist source for ten countries including Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia, Maldives, Indonesia and South Africa. Chinese tourists account for up to 30% of international tourist arrivals in these countries.

China is also an important tourist source for the United States, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Canada. In 2017, the number of Chinese tourists who visited Thailand reached 9.8 million.

There were 7.35 million Chinese tourists who went to Japan, 4.17 million to South Korea, 4 million to Vietnam, 2.05 million to Indonesia, 1.5 million to Russia and

Tian Xin is Director of China National Tourist Office, New Delhi

January-February 2019 â–Ş

17

SINO-INDIAN TOURISM HUGE POTENTIAL

1.2 million to Cambodia. The number of Chinese tourists who have visited India’s neighboring countries like Maldives and Sri Lanka have also exceeded 0.3 million.

In 2017, the number of two-way tourists between China and India was only over 1 million. Among this, about 800,000 tourists were from India to China, and about 250,000 tourists were from China to India. This is only a tiny proportion of the total overseas tourist arrivals in the two countries, and is far below the numbers that can be expected

India’s outbound tourism growing rapidly In recent years, India's outbound tourist market has grown rapidly. In 2017, the number of India’s outbound tourists reached more than 20 million. China and India are not the main tour destinations for tourists from each other’s country yet.

In 2017, the number of two-way tourists between China and India was only over 1 million. Among this, about 800,000 tourists were from India to China, and about 250,000 tourists were from China to India. This is only a tiny proportion of the total overseas tourist arrivals in the two countries, and is far less than the numbers that can be expected. It is an important task for the tourism industries

18

of China and India to promote personnel exchanges and enhance tourism cooperation between the two countries.

To implement the consensus reached by the leaders of our two nations on promotion and expansion of humanities exchanges, we need to work hard. There is urgent need to further enhance tourism development and tourist exchange between China and India.

▪ January-February 2019

Areas to strengthen for tourism promotion First, we should create good conditions and a conducive atmosphere for enhancing the scale of tourism exchange between the two countries. This can be done by strengthening positive publicity, and ensuring the required guidance.

The following steps are vital for the growth of tourism.

S, AUGUST 28, 2018

FROM THE INDIAN EXPRES

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1. Globally, it is essential for people associated with the tourism industry to take effective measures to protect the safety of tourists and their properties.

2. All the nations which want to encourage greater international tourism must protect the legitimate rights and interests of tourists, and let tourists dare to come and be willing to come.

3. It is essential to formulate and implement policies and measures to encourage and facilitate tourist exchanges between our two countries.

4. China and India must strengthen the publicity and promotion of tourism in each other country. This will enable the people of the two countries to have more knowledge and understanding of the tourism resources in each other's countries.

5. It is important to make the potential tourists aware of the products, routes, conditions and other relevant information in order to attract and encourage tourists to visit each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s country.

6. We need to make transportation more convenient, increase the number of flight cities, and also flights between the two countries in order to reduce the cost of travel and increase tourist attraction.

7. It is essential to provide thoughtful, meticulous, caring and practical services for the tourists of both countries. These include facilities to enhance understanding of language, catering, travel signs, TV programs, appliances in hotel rooms etc., to maximize the convenience of visitors from both sides.

We believe that with the personally concerned support and guidance from the leaders of the two countries, and also with the joint efforts of Sino-India tourism related industries, tourism exchanges and cooperation, the two-way tourist exchanges between China and India will get a great boost. In this way, the tourism and economic development and prosperity of the two countries will be promoted, and the two countries and their people will be benefited. China and India tourism exchanges and cooperation in the future is full of hope and promise. With consistent efforts, we shall realize this potential. ď ą

January-February 2019 â&#x2013;Ş

19

PASSION PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACT

From student in China to brand ambassador for India and Puducherry

Navagrah Temple near Puducherry

20

â&#x2013;ª January-February 2019

O

Puducherry’s leap as a favoured destination for Chinese tourists

ver the last couple of years, Puducherry has seen a spurt in the number of tourists visiting the south Indian coastal city to study Indian culture, experience yoga and the Indian systems of holistic medicine.

The boost to tourism has come from the sustained efforts of Pondicherry India China Friendship Association (PICFA), a group of some locals driven by their desire to see deep, meaningful people-to-people contact between India and China.

Creating awareness on Prof Xu Fancheng has significantly increased the visits of Chinese scholars and students visiting Puducherry. Prof Fancheng, who lived for 27 years at the Aurobindo Ashram at Puducherry, translated the Upanishads and the Bhagwat Gita, among others into Chinese. Xu first came to India to teach at Rabindranath Tagore’s Visva Bharati University in West Bengal in

 Dr. Das Bikash Kali

The Early Years I graduated as a medical doctor from Dali University in Yunnan, China in 2011. I had landed in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan for joining Dali University as a medical undergraduate. This was my first contact with China and its people. I was among the first batch of South Asian students joining the medical program in Dali.

I was the class monitor for my batch.

This brought me in touch with the Directors and Deans of Universities, and presented me with opportunities to undertake many educational and cultural initiatives in China.

I studied in China for six years. During this time, I participated and volunteered

the late 1940s. He studied classical Sanskrit in Varanasi and translated Kalidas’s ‘Meghadut’ into Chinese.

Chinese tourists now come to Puducherry to learn Bharatnatyam and vedic Sanskrit. With the consistent activities of the Pondicherry India China Friendship Association to involve more and more Chinese at both government and civic society level, the number of Chinese tourists has increased also for leisure activities in Puducherry like deep sea diving, or experiencing the traditional Indian way of life. Chinese tourists like to shop for handicrafts at Puducherry, incense, vetiver products, things made of sea-shells etc.

Chinese locals living at Auroville in Puducherry and Indian students who have studied at China and know Mandarin are available as guides for the visiting Chinese tourists. The Tea Road Restaurant run by Mr Ramana, a Chinese gentleman, serves authentic Chinese food.

Puducherry is developing five more beaches. The Puducherry India China Friendship Association is increasing the depth and breadth of its linkages with China.

The word-of-mouth feedback of visiting tourists is drawing more Chinese tourists to this coastal city.

Puducherry expects a good growth in the percentage of Chinese tourists visiting here.

How did the leap in the number of Chinese tourists to Puducherry happen? The journey started with one man’s love for China – the country where he studied and worked for ten years. The man is Dr. Das Bikash Kali.

Here, Dr. Kali recalls his journey from an undergraduate medical student to Founder & Secretary, Pondicherry India China Friendship Association (PICFA), and China-India Collaboration Consultant (education, culture, trade & tourism).

in various events, and organized educational and cultural programs across China. These experiences gave me valuable insight into the culture, everyday life of China, and its policies.

I conducted and also served in medical camps and programs in many ethnic villages in Yunnan such as Heqin village, which is famous for its silver. I worked in programs with WHO member Dr Eckhart, who was posted in Yunnan during my study years.

During my early years, I experienced the Chinese way of life at close quarters by staying at the homes of my Chinese friends. I was also active in assisting various delegates who came to Yunnan.

During these occasions, I met a number of diplomats. These interactions and rich

discussions impacted me, and I decided that I would work assiduously to promote India China relations.

After finishing by course at Dali University, I worked as a consultant for a healthcare IT company in Chengdu.

In 2007, I started an educational consultancy. I served as an educational consultant for aspiring South-Asian students who wanted to study in China or come here for internships, or guide Chinese students who wanted to study in India.

It has been my passion to establish India-China collaboration programs. I have been working since 2015 to achieve this objective. The first project we initiated was the Dali-Puducherry Friendship City Cooperation. As part of this program,

January-February 2019 ▪

21

PASSION PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACT

we are assisting education cooperation between Dali University and Pondicherry University in the field of sports science – Yoga and Tai Chi. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is likely to be signed this year. We have also worked with colleges and research institutes to assist them in establishing linkages with Chinese medical colleges, and with allied health care and educational institutions which teach traditional Chinese medicine.

I have been a fond traveler, and have extensively travelled through China.

The Chinese civilization has strong social values like India, but the cultural expression varies. Cultural exchange is an oft-ignored aspect of International relations. Cultural values impact what people and states want and think in world affairs.

I have observed an interesting difference between Indian and Chinese culture. A civilized person in China

is expected to not show any facial expressions, whatever the occasion – a political or business deal. We Indians are generous with our use of facial expressions. Our facial expressions are strong, and at times even dramatic.

Hence our Indian classical dances have abundant use of facial expressions too.

The Chinese consider keeping a tight control on their facial expressions a measure of sophistication. Hence, those who do not fully understand Chinese culture may find it difficult to understand the Chinese, or may even misunderstand them.

India and China have historically engaged through scholarly exchanges of wisdom. I found historical traces of Avalokitesvara and Tamil culture in Yunnan. I also found linkages between ancient India and China in fields like calligraphy, and in traditional medical practices like acupuncture.

The local Chinese of are always helpful.

They value humility. They are always polite, and eager to establish contact with Indians with traditional cultural values.

Chinese tourists come to Puducherry to learn Bharatnatyam and vedic Sanskrit.

In the last two years, the number of Chinese tourists has increased also for leisure activities like deep sea diving or experiencing the traditional Indian way of life

From left: PRC Ambassador to India Mr Luo Zhaohui; Chief minister Puducherry Mr V. Narayanasamy; Mr John Kumar, Special Representative of the Puducherry administration in New Delhi; Mr K. Lakshminarayanan, Parliamentary Secretary to CM; Mrs Radha Srinivasagopalane, President Pondicherry India China Friendship Association (PICFA); Prof Huang Xinchuang, former Director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies

Essential to understand cultural differences

22

▪ January-February 2019

Cultural values in Chinese policy can be often seen as the concept of mian zi – keeping the face for the words given, or the value of the words spoken. A Chinese official gets recognition through his works. His popularity is determined by how much he is able to keep the value of words. His work gives him importance in the community.

Confucianism and Buddhism have a strong and significant influence on how China’s foreign policy, ideology and alliances are devised. Culture plays an equally crucial role in state power, apart from shaping economy and defense.

Understanding and enhancing people-topeople relations through cultural contacts can develop political, economical and mutually beneficial projects between India and China.

There are some important Chinese cultural practices which I encountered.

These are the Chinese ethnic ways of life, typical to the Chinese culture and civilization. Confucianism, Avalokitesvara (Guan Yin Pusa) and The Chinese tea culture are part of the typical Chinese

traditions that one steadily begins to understand, on increasing familiarity with the Chinese society. Chinese scholars in search of knowledge and wisdom took journeys to India. Similarly Indian scholars travelled to China and learned Chinese culture. This also helped in the spread of Indian wisdom in China.

Efforts for linkages at government level I had the opportunity to work with the Chinese foreign affairs department during the K2K (Kunming to Kolkata) summit at Dali. I arranged various meetings for Indian delegations in southwest China.

One such meeting was arranged by Pondicherry India China Friendship Association (PICFA) for the Government of Puducherry with Dali government officials in 2015. A high level delegation from Puducherry visited Dali Prefecture for initial talks on cooperation between the two cities. Chinese local authorities were initially doubtful about the cooperation with Puducherry. This is because of very low level of contact in current times between south India and south-west China.

My idea was that Puducherry-Dali relationship between the two governments will help in developing cultural, educational and trade ties between south India and south-west China. It will help in developing people-to-people awareness and contacts. Initially, I had to pursue this journey alone.

There were very few people who believed in this idea. This was simply due to huge lack of knowledge about each other, and the cultural differences between China and India. In addition to my initial aim of establishing connections at government level, I realized that my goal should also be to create awareness of Chinese culture in India and Indian culture in China.

Slowly, our efforts bore fruit. Both Dali and Puducherry governments have shown their support for each other in various ways. The Puducherry Chief

How to boost Destination India among Chinese tourists Customer-valued tourism plans This implies developing tourism strategies locally and nationally that are based on Chinese preferences. It is important to develop linkages and activities to attract and indulge Chinese tourists such as Nadi reading, Siddhas, Indian traditional healing methods etc

Inventive Buddhist tourism circuits Buddhism tourism circuits should be developed keeping in mind that in China, it is not only Gautam Buddha who is revered. Avalokateshwara (Guanyin Pusa) and Bodhidharma (founder of Shaolin) are revered too.

The Buddhist tourist circuits should also focus on areas associated with Avalokateshwara and Bodhidharma.

Heritage tourism Chinese like to visit places of historical connections. Heritage tourism is a valued dimension for them. If they come to India, they would like to experience Indian culture by staying in heritage houses and old towns of India. They like to indulge in heritage walks and experience traditional local activities

Bharatnatyam appeal Bharatnatyam is famous in China. Tourism planners with a keen understanding of Chinese love for Bharatnatyam will develop circuits where the love of this beautiful Indian classical dance form will find the right express

Food habits Chinese like to have their supper at 6 pm. Any good tourism circuits specially designed for the Chinese must adhere to these timings of the visiting groups

Better air connectivity India must ensure a higher number of direct flights from China to various parts of India

Information centers Well-equipped information centers should be developed for Chinese tourists with at least some members of the staff who can speak Mandarin.

Hygiene consciousness Chinese tourists are particular about clean and hygienic locations

January-February 2019 â&#x2013;Ş

23

PASSION PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACT

The author on a visit to Fuxian Lake during the Cooperation Dialogue with Linchang city Left to right: Lincang Foreign Affairs official Miss Vivian Dao; Kunming Foreign Affairs official Ms Wang Ling; Mr Kiyas Suhood and Mr Roshan Pelpola, both Justice of Peace and Members of Urban Council, Gampola, Sri Lanka; Mrs Radha Srinivasagopalane, President Pondicherry India China Friendship Association (PICFA); Deputy Mayor, Linchang City Zhāng Shì Hóng

Minister Shri Velu Narayanasamy met Party Secretary leader Mr Chen Jian from Dali Prefecture at New Delhi in February 2018. Both showed keen interest in developing mutually-beneficial relationships between the two regions.

Building on the legacy of Prof Xu Fancheng In 2016, I returned from China to take care of my parents, who had moved from Assam to Puducherry for health issues.

After I started living in Puducherry, I learnt about Prof Xu Fancheng and his amazing legacy from Sri Aurobindo ashram. The legacy of Prof Xu Fancheng further motivated me to peruse strong cultural relations between India and China. Mr Devdip Ganguli, a teacher from Sri Aurobindo Ashram had researched on Prof Xu Fancheng, and gave me valuable information on him. Mr Matri Prasad also provided me valuable information about Prof Xu Fancheng. Later, I was able to

24

With CEO of Confucius International Education Group Mr. Kong Lingtao, the 76th descendant of Confucius and the Chairman of World Confucius Foundation

▪ January-February 2019

meet Mr Ramana, who is a Chinese living in Puducherry. Mr Ramana had been a close companion of Prof Xu Fancheng, and had assisted him to travel back to China. Mr Ramana provided me with the deep insights into the life and works of Prof Xu fancheng in Puducherry.

Mr Ramana is now 87 years old. He had travelled to Puducherry during the time of (Mother Mirra Alfassa and had settled in Puducherry. He has been living here for more than 30 years, helping to create awareness of Chinese culture through his Chinese restaurant by the name of The Tea Road at Puducherry.

In order to promote India-China friendship, we initially started the Pondicherry Educational Collaboration Organization (PECO). This is now a sister concern of Pondicherry India China friendship association (PICFA).

Through our organization PICFA, we occasionally organized events to promote India-China friendship ties. I would speak at these events about the common linkages between India and China, backed up with presentations on Chinese and Indian cultural relations.

Mrs Radha Srinivasagopalane, currently the president of Pondicherry India China Friendship Association (PICFA), provided intense support to form the association.

After organizing many such meetings and interactions, we focused on organizing the symposium in memory of Prof Xu Fancheng in March 2018.

The symposium was organized with the support of the Government of Puducherry and Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. Various other organizations like Sri Aurobindo Ashram and INTACH (Indian National Trust for Arts Culture and Heritage) assisted and provided their support to make the event a grand success.

Government of Puducherry has been highly supportive of our activities.

The Department of Tourism and the Department of Arts & Culture have generously supported us by providing appropriate space for our events. Mr

Our major works 2015: Established communication between Dali University (PR China) and Pondicherry University for cooperation in the field of sports science and humanities 2016: Established communication with Dali Prefecture (PR China); assisted and organized the visit of Puducherry government officials to Dali Prefecture for future cooperation 2017: Participated in international conferences on enhancing people-topeople relations between India and China organized by Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) and the Press Institute of India (PII) in partnership with Centre for Public Policy and Research (CPPR) February 2018: Assisted and arranged communication between Puducherry Chief Minister Mr Velu Narayanasamy and Mr. Chen Jian, Party Secretary and head of Dali Prefecture, where both agreed for friendship city cooperation between Dali and Puducherry

March 2018: Organized and coordinated the symposium on Xu Fancheng, the Chinese scholar. Coordinated the visit of H.E. Luo Zhaohui and Chinese delegations June 2018: Attended the Kunming 5th China South-Asia Exposition and participated in the conference of 1st China Southeast Asia Forum for Poverty Reduction

Feb 2019: Attended China India Cultural Percepts and Propositions international conference by Chennai Centre for China Studies and Citizenarts, New York K Lakshminarayanan, Parliamentary Secretary to CM, played an instrumental role in supporting and developing relations at government level between Dali and Puducherry. He was part of the high-level delegation from Puducherry that visited Dali in 2015.

During his visit to Puducherry in March 2018, Chinese Ambassador H.E. Luo Zhaohui suggested that we should develop people-to-people relation in the field of education and culture. With his inspiration and moral support, we formed the Pondicherry India China friendship Association.

The most difficult part for PICFA is to get funding. In India, there are no separate programs or grants for funding any India-China associations. We depend

The author with Dali University Director of International Exchange and Cooperation Prof Zhang Rumei

on donations, support and sponsors for our events and works. For most of our works, we pool in our own savings.

Future plans One of our prime focus areas is to build a Sino-India Cultural Centre in the memory of Prof Xu Fancheng at Puducherry.We are also concentrating on educational activities and cultural events.

We are engaged in efforts to enhance and enrich people-to-people relations between India and China through wisdom (education) and culture.

In March, we are visiting Dali Prefecture. Our association will present Bharatnatyam, a classicial Indian dance, during the Dali University International Day celebrations Consulate Guangzhao

Mr Sujit Ghosh and Mr Aniket Patankar are among the Indian delegates who will visit the event. The Vice Chancellor of Pondicherry University has also been invited for the Dali University International Day Forum.

In the first week of April, PICFA is organizing the Dali Ethnic Photo Exhibition in Puducherry, together with Dali Art Factory.

During June-July, PICFA will send a team to participate in the Kunming Expo 2019 and showcase Indian handicrafts during the event. Our other events during 2019 include participation in the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, Liberation Day, Puducherry Heritage festival, Puducherry India China Cultural Forum and birth anniversary of Prof Xu Fancheng. ď ą

January-February 2019 â&#x2013;Ş

25

CENTRAL INDIA A TOURIST DELIGHT

TIGER COUNTRY 26

â&#x2013;ª January-February 2019

Vidarbha waits for Chinese tourists Travel agencies of Vidarbha meet leading travel agencies of Shanghai and Guangzhou to spread awareness of tourism potential and boost traffic

 Vilas Kale

T

ravel and tour operators in Vidarbha region in Maharashtra are looking forward to receiving tourist groups from China. Leading tour operators of the region held meetings in 2018 with some leading tour operators of Shanghai and Guangzhou.

We are eagerly waiting for Chinese tourists to come and discover the natural splendors of central India, including our world-famous Tiger Reserves. Central India is also called the Tiger Country. In 12 Tiger reserves, more than 300 tigers live in their natural habitat. We hope that more and more tourists from China shall be inspired to visit our Tiger Sanctuaries, our amazing archeological and historical sites and beautiful landscapes, and be welcomed by our warm people.

All tour groups from China shall be provided with Mandarin-speaking tour escorts. Also, tourists from China can expect good quality accommodation from luxury to budget facilities. Good quality resorts and Jungle Camps with five-star facilities are available in all the Tiger Reserves.

Cities where tourists prefer to stay are Nagpur, Jabalpur, Raipur, Bhopal and Aurangabad. There are many restaurants where Chinese food is available, since Chinese is the most preferred foreign cuisine in India. These restaurants offer Indian version of Chinese food. There are two or three top-end expensive restaurants that serve authentic Chinese food.

Splendours of Central India Nagpur is the Gateway City to central India, which comprises Vidarbha (Maharashtra State), east Madhya Pradesh and parts of Chhattisgarh. Blessed with abundant forests, mineral wealth, this region is famous for its Cotton and Orange cultivation.

Nagpur is almost equidistant from the four mega metros, viz. Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. It has excellent rail, road and air connectivity to the whole of India

Vilas Kale is Founder Secretary and Founder President of Vidarbha Economic Development Council, Trustee of Vidarbha Tourism Promotion Society, and Managing Director of Cenin Tours and Travels Pvt Ltd

Tiger and Wildlife Safaris These are easily accessible from the international airport. Conservation efforts undertaken by the Forest department and some NGOs have resulted in a healthy population of tigers. Today, they can be commonly sighted even in the buffer areas in almost all these Tiger Reserves.

Panna, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Satpura and Pench in Madhya Pradesh, and Nagzira, Melghat, Bor, Tadoba, UmredKarandhla and Pench in Maharashtra are home to the magnificent Tiger, along with a variety of other wild life like Leopards, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Bison, Neelgai, Bear, Boars, Owls, Crocodiles. All these areas are connected through natural forest corridors.

Wild life enthusiasts can spend weeks travelling through the region and enjoying the flora and fauna to their heart’s content. Beautiful landscapes, lush green forests, meandering rivers and rivulets, Satpuda mountains and sites of archeological and historical importance dot this region. These areas offer the visitor a

In 12 tiger reserves, more than 300 tigers live in their natural habitat.

We hope that more and more tourists from China shall be inspired to visit our tiger sanctuaries, our amazing archeological and historical sites and beautiful landscapes, and be welcomed by our warm people

January-February 2019 ▪

27

CENTRAL INDIA A TOURIST DELIGHT treat of not just sighting Tiger and wild life, but a variety of experiences.

Tribal culture of Gondi – the aboriginal tribe of the region Tourists can enjoy the rich tribal culture of the original inhabitants of the region, commonly known as Gondis – the Madias, Baigas, Sailas and Korkus. These tribes live near the Tiger reserves and offer a great opportunity to experience their culture, dance and music, arts and handicrafts, food, beverages and lifestyle.

Lonar Meteorite Crater This is the world’s third largest meteorite crater. It is 1.83 km in diameter and 150meters deep. It has evolved into a beautiful salt lake amidst a sprawling forest, creating a beautiful eco-system of a wide variety of birds and plants. Lonar is an open-air geological museum.

Close to Lonar, there are ancient temples with beautiful carvings. One can comfortably travel to the world-famous Ellora Caves and Aurangabad, which is just 120 kms away.

The Mahatma Gandhi circuit Mahatma Gandhi made Sewagram Ashram near Wardha his home from 1936 till his death in 1948. The Mahatma inspired

many individuals to serve the society in many different ways.

Sewagram Ashram is an experience in itself. It has well preserved cottages and a serene environment. The exhibition on display here unfolds the historic period just before India became independent from British rule.

Tourists can enjoy the rich tribal culture of the original inhabitants of the region, commonly known as Gondis – the Madias, Baigas, Sailas and Korkus. These tribes live near the tiger reserves and offer a great opportunity to experience their culture, dance and music, arts and handicrafts, food, beverages and lifestyle

Tribal culture of the original inhabitants of the region, commonly know as Gondis – the Madias, Baigas, Sailas and Korkus

28

▪ January-February 2019

Near Wardha, one can also visit Paunar Ashram of Acharya Vinoba Bhave, a revered disciple of Mahatma Gandhi.

A visit to the Centre of Sciences for Villages (CSV) is a rewarding experience.

The centre is doing pioneering work in developing and propagating simple and affordable technologies to improve the quality of life and economy of rural India.

Tourists here can also visit Baba Amte’s (Magsaysay awardee) Ananad Van project. Baba Amte was inspired by Mahatma Gandhis’s teachings.

The Centre for Rehabilitation of Leprosy Patients is a deeply humbling experience. It is amazing to see the near miracle achieved by the saint-like doctor here who has treated the patients. There are beautiful gardens, handicrafts and handlooms, all maintained and developed by the rehabilitated patients.

Visits to the Hemalkasa Project of Dr Prakash Amte and the Search Project of Dr Abhay Bang at Gadchiroli are inspiring experiences. These dedicated disciples of Mahatma Gandhi are doing yeoman service towards the poor and the tribals.

The Buddhist Circuit Deekshabhoomi Situated in Nagpur, Deekshabhoomi is regarded as a pilgrimage center of Buddhism in India. It is considered sacred by Buddhists because this is where Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the author of the Indian Constitution and a leader of the oppressed masses, converted to Buddhism. Deekshabhoomi has the biggest stupa in Asia, where the ashes of Dr. Ambedkar have been preserved in his memory.

The Nagalok Study Centre is a Buddhist training and conference center located in Nagpur. It is a pilgrimage site where thousands of people come to see the famous Walking Buddha statue.

Dragon Palace Temple at Kamptee Beautifully constructed by the International Ogawa Society, Japan, the Temple has received international and national

Mansar – Excavations from the 5th century

Lonar Meteorite Crater

awards for its structural design. Both domestic and international tourists visit Dragon Palace Temple through the year. It is a centre of peace, friendship and harmony.

stop for the Gondi tribals. A big tribal fair is held here annually around February. The Maharashtra government has invested hugely here to develop facilities for tourists.

Hue en sang Dhamma Camp Centre and Stupa Located near Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, the architecture of the stupa is beautiful.

Statues of Gautam Buddha in various expressions can be seen here.

Patalkot (Valley of the Deep)

Mahasamadhi Bhoomi, Bhandara This boasts of statues of the Buddha in various postures of meditation. Each statue is minutely crafted and painted, and leaves the visitors spell-bound.

Mahasamadhi Bhoomi is famous for spreading the teachings of Buddhism.

Kachargarh – The Koyli Kachar Caves Explore the ancient culture of the Gondi tribals, and visit the caves where they lived. The uphill trek is a delight for those who seek adventure. Midway, one can see a small cave. At the top of the hill, there is a gargantuan cave which can accommodate approximately 4000 people at a time.

The Gondis practice a pagan religion which symbolizes their concept of service to all creatures created by the power of nature. The caves are a revered

Patalkot (Sanskrit for ‘very deep’) is a valley in the Tamia tehsil of Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh. It is spread over 79 kms. The Doodhi river flows in the picturesque valley. This horse-shoe shaped valley is surrounded by giant hills.

Trekking to the bottom is a wonderful experience. Patalkot is the home of some rare medicinal plants and herbs.

The tribals are skilled at using these to make effective medicines. The herbal practitioners are known as Bhumkas.

These excavations have resulted in the discovery of shrines and a palace complex dating back to 5th AD. The palace complex has been identified as Pravarapura, the capital of the Vakataka king Pravarasena II. Adjacent to this palace, on Hidimba Tekri, an extensive temple complex has been unearthed. A 3 meter tall lime model of a male human figure in crouching position was found underneath one of the terraces of the temple complex.

Significant 5th century sculptures of Hindu deities, artefacts and some coins have been discovered in the excavations.

The water reservoir around the site, ancient tools and other objects found here point to the fact that a large population inhabited the area about 1600 years ago. The discovery has made Mansar one of the prime archaeological sites in the country.

Ramtek – the Hilltop Temple This is a very ancient temple dedicated to Shri Ram, a Hindu deity. It is believed that Shri Ram rested here during his 14-year exile. There are many other tourist attractions in the area, including adventure rides and water sports.

Go-Vigyan Anusandhan Kendra (GVAK) A unique research and development centre. It uses cow urine for health, agriculture and cattle protection.

Markanda This is a Kharjuraho-style temple with amazingly beautiful sculptures, located on the river Wainganga. These temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva, a supreme Hindu deity.

Hill Stations of Chikhaldara and Pachmarhi

Kachargarh caves

Located in the Satpura mountains, these hill stations offer tourists a variety of attractions and activities in a clean and healthy environment. 

January-February 2019 ▪

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TRAVEL TOURISM POTENTIAL

Incredible India

Challenges, opportunities for tourism growth 30

â&#x2013;ª January-February 2019

 Rajni Shaleen Chopra

W

hy has Destination India been an under-performer in drawing tourists from Asia and also globally? This question has become a cause of concern for the Government of India. We are aware of the infrastructural challenges that India suffers from.

But poor infrastructure does not explain the lack of appeal of Destination India for Chinese tourists who have become the global drivers of tourism.

A report prepared by the Sydney-based Centre for Aviation (CAPA) in September 2018 stated that in 2016, India received fewer Chinese tourists than either Sri Lanka or the Maldives. This is despite the fact that as compared to India, Sri Lanka and Maldives have a much more limited tourism product.

The three largest markets in the region – China, Japan and South Korea – accounted for only around 7.5% of foreign tourist arrivals in India, compared with more than 35% in the case of Thailand.

The CAPA report said that in 2016, India received a total of 571,000 Chinese, Japanese and Korean visitors. Thailand, by contrast, welcomed more than 11 million tourists from these source markets. Simplified visa requirements,

improved air connectivity, long haul low cost airlines and an increased focus on promotion and product development could stimulate tourism flows, said the report.

CAPA observed that a likely reason for the poor inflow of Chinese tourists to India could also be that before the visit

by Alphons to push for Destination India, the Indian government had not actively courted inbound tourism from China.

Chinese tourism growth to key competing Asian destinations far outstrips India According to the report published by Centre for Aviation, between 2007 and 2016, Chinese arrivals increased at an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.1% for a basket of jet destinations in Asia, but only 12.4% for India.

The average CAGR for inbound tourists from non-Chinese markets to competing destinations was considerably lower at 7.3%, underlining the role of Chinese tourists in boosting inbound tourism in these countries. Most of India’s competitors gained significantly from the growth in inbound Chinese tourists, said the report.

In August last year, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism KJ Alphons made a strong pitch to increase the inflow of Chinese tourists to India

Rajni Shaleen Chopra is Executive Editor of the India China Chronicle

In 2016, India received fewer Chinese tourists than either Sri Lanka or the Maldives.

This is despite the fact that as compared to India, Sri Lanka and Maldives have a much more limited tourism product January-February 2019 ▪

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TRAVEL TOURISM POTENTIAL

as he highlighted India’s diversity and assured the best possible security to visitors. According to a report carried

by The Times of India, the minister also invited Chinese businessmen to invest in India’s burgeoning tourism sector.

Following the visit by Alphons, a Press Trust of India (PTI) report from Beijing said that India was revamping its tourism strategy in China, including opening of a full-fledged regional tourist office in Beijing, as it pitched for attracting a good chunk of the country’s 144 million tourists.

The PTI report noted that despite big campaigns and e-visa facilities, only 2.40 lakh Chinese tourists visited India last year against 14 lakh Indians who visited China. Countries all over the world are making a big pitch for attracting Chinese tourists as their numbers have crossed 144 million last year, the highest in the world.

During his visit to Beijing, the Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism said it will be good if India got 10 per cent of Chinese tourists in five years, which could be about 14 lakh. He said that the Buddhist tourist circuit in India would be supported with better infrastructure.

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India must harness its vast tourism potential

I

ndia is extremely diverse and has far more vibrant culture than China. It is up to the people of India, whether they promote that vibrancy or fall in the trap of being cosmopolitan. Remember – if India is not different from the West, there is no reason for the West to come here. It needs to be modern, but with character. As the economy rises, it is the responsibility of the citizens along with the government to increase the Human Development Index of the nation. This will create enormous domestic tourism.

When the domestic tourism scenario is good, then the international inflow of tourists will always be good.

In terms of infrastructure, India has to connect its highways, especially in the mountain sector. This can give rise to tremendous tourism. India’s North-East is largely unexplored. Such cultures much be promoted. A lot of money needs to be invested there for the growth of tourism. You need to make tourists aware that India has

▪ January-February 2019

such places. You cannot rely just on the monuments.

Expand tourism marketing India has to get over the obsession of the Taj Mahal and be more inclusive.

Although the Taj Mahal is beautiful, it is not the only wonder of India. India has cave architecture over thousands of years old and plenty of beautiful granite temples that outdo the Taj Mahal. It is sad that we have not made international tourists aware of our cultural richness. They think that Indian history begins from 10th century. India must invest more in tourism marketing.

India must make international tourists access Indus Valley cities like Dholavira and other places. We must give a boost to treasured sites such as Ellora Caves, Elephanta Caves and many other places from South India to expand our tourism marketing.

(Sanchayan Sarkar, PhD Research Fellow at University of Pittsburgh on Quora)

Alphons also addressed one of the most limiting factors to Sino-Indian travel—air connectivity—by saying that he would “initiate a dialogue with the aviation minister to increase flight connectivity” between the two countries. In order to assist Chinese tourists, the government had appointed Mandarin-speaking guides at various airports.

China takes note of India’s thrust on tourism China is aware of the rising concern in India that it should attract more Chinese travelers. In August last year, Jing Travel, a leading voice for news and analysis on Chinese global travel, noted that India is waking up to Chinese tourism failure, and aims to boost incoming Chinese tourist numbers by 6000 per cent.

The report published by Jing Travel stated that India was finally acknowledging the fact that their country was lagging

Passport power rank

I

ndia currently has a “passport power rank” of 69, placing it alongside Sierra Leone and Sao Tome Principe in the Global Passport Index. Indian citizens can travel visa-free to 25 nations, qualify for visa on arrival in 39 and need to apply for a visa to enter 134. Chinese fare slightly better, at number 60 in the list, with visa-free access to 28 countries, visas available on arrival in 46 and a visa required for 124.

Increasingly, Asian holiday hotspots are looking to the region’s other very populous country with a fast growing economy and outbound tourism industry. Airlines have been adding routes between India and Thailand, while Australia saw record arrivals from both China and the subcontinent in 2017, a trend that is expected to continue. Indian tourists have a long

way to go to catch up with their welltravelled Chinese counterparts. According to the most up-to-date statistics available from India’s Ministry of Tourism, a mere 24 million outbound trips were made by its 1.3 billion inhabitants in 2017.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimates that figure will reach 50 million by 2020, driven by a growing and increasingly affluent middle class, but that is only where China was in 2009, when almost 48 million of its citizens made journeys beyond its borders.

Destinations from Phuket to Perth will vie to attract visitors from both China and India – or Chindia, as Indian politician Jairam Ramesh calls the neighbouring nations that together account for more than one-third of the world’s population.

(Excerpts of a report carried by South China Morning Post (SCMP) in January 2019)

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TRAVEL TOURISM POTENTIAL

(Source: United Nations World Tourism Organization)

far behind the competition for Chinese tourism. The report said that this was no less than a huge missed opportunity for India’s nascent tourism industry. While China’s other neighboring countries had

34

seen their tourism industries explode due to the growing Chinese tourism market, India has performed worse than even some of the most far-flung and expensive destinations in the region.

▪ January-February 2019

India attracted 240,000 Chinese visits in 2017, and that’s without an upward trend (in 2016, the country received some 251,000 Chinese travelers). Bringing that figure to 14.4 million by 2023 would mean a 6,000 percent increase, an unprecedented explosion in Chinese travel to a specific destination, stated the report.

Jing Travel’s tongue-in-cheek comment was that India’s tourism goals in regards to the Chinese market might be outside the realm of possibility. “It’s clear that the country’s tourism minister is earnest about wanting a bigger slice of the Chinese tourism pie. While that is far from enough activity to boost India’s tourism from China by a staggering 6,000 percent over a five-year span, it’s undoubtedly a good first step now that India is beginning to realize the enormous potential within the Chinese tourism market,” said the travel news and analysis portal. 

To booth tourism with north Asia, India needs better air connectivity

A

weak link in India’s efforts to draw more tourists from north Asia has been lack of adequate air connectivity. Direct air services between India and North Asia are notably under-developed relative to the size of the economies. India and China, with more than one-third of the world’s population between them, have just over five daily non-stop services in each direction. The frequencies to Japan and South Korea are even fewer.

With Indian carriers, particularly low-cost carriers, expected to expand their international footprints over the next 12-18 months, North Asian destinations are likely to be under consideration, and this could provide a stimulus to growth.

China has sought a liberalization of the bilateral air services agreement with India as its carriers are close to exhausting their entitlement of 42 weekly frequencies.

However, given the low level of utilization by Indian airlines, India is unlikely to agree to an increase in frequencies in the near term, especially as a sizeable proportion of capacity on these services is being sold for onward carriage to North America.

India made it easier for North Asians to visit by simplifying visa requirements Visa requirements can be a major obstacle to travel given the costs, time and hassle that can be involved. This is especially true in the case of leisure travel, where travelers have alternative destinations they can visit.

All foreign nationals, except citizens

of Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives, require a visa to visit India. India’s visa application process was notoriously cumbersome until late 2014, when the government introduced an electronic visa scheme.

Nationals of 165 countries are now eligible for this option for leisure, visiting friends and relatives, business, conference or medical purposes, which means that the vast majority of visitors can access this facility. Japanese and Korean citizens have been able to apply for e-visas since the scheme was launched, with Chinese nationals being added the following year.

Japan is also the only country in the world whose nationals are eligible to receive a visa on arrival in India, without prior application. South Korea will become the second country with this privilege, effective Oct-2018.

A clear opportunity for Indian tourism North Asia represents a clear opportunity for India to target for inbound tourism. The size, growth rate and propensity to spend of outbound travelers from the region, particularly China, can no longer be ignored.

Amongst its diverse attractions, an aspect of the Indian tourism offer that could potentially resonate particularly strongly in North Asia is the ‘Buddhist circuit’ in the east of the country, covering historical and religious sites of significance from the life of Buddha.

It will take a concerted effort and investment by the government and private sector operators in terms of marketing and promotion, as well as tailored product development. And air connectivity will need to be enhanced significantly.

But if successful, the resulting contribution to economic growth and job creation in India would be transformative.

(Excerpts from the report carried by the Sydney-based Centre for Aviation (CAPA) in September 2018)

January-February 2019 ▪

35

INDO-PAK CONFLICT JUDICIOUS ROLE FOR CHINA

For China, 62 billion reasons to be cautious in India-Pakistan crisis

Beijing has long walked a tightrope between Delhi and Islamabad, but the US$62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has changed the game. Can it maintain these newly close relations while preserving regional stability?

36

â&#x2013;Ş January-February 2019

 Ananth Krishnan

C

aution has been the defining characteristic of China’s past responses to Indo-Pakistan crises, and February 2019 has been no

different.

Following the attack by the Pakistanbased Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group that claimed the lives of 40 Indian security personnel in Pulwama, in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, tensions between the neighbours are at their highest since the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008.

The subsequent Indian air strikes on a JeM camp in Balakot, Pakistan, marked the first use of cross-border air power since the 1971 war.

Beijing’s response this past week has closely mirrored its handling of past Indo-Pakistan tensions, where it called on both sides to show restraint. Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered this message to both India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj – who happened to be visiting China for a Russia-India-China (RIC) summit – and to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in two phone conversations.

At the RIC summit on Wednesday, Wang came down hard on “breeding grounds of terrorism”, and Swaraj thought his remarks important enough to highlight to the media, saying it showed China and India would cooperate on eradicating those breeding grounds, in what was seen in India as a reference to Pakistan. The RIC joint communique also expressed in strong terms a common strategy on terror.

Yet by the time Wang was back in Beijing on Wednesday evening, he was on the phone to Qureshi, expressing China’s view, in an apparent reference to India’s air strikes, that countries should respect territorial sovereignty and not violate the norms of international relations.

Both comments present a snapshot of

the diplomatic balancing act that has been China’s trademark when dealing with India-Pakistan crises. This underlines Beijing’s abiding objective, which is to ensure stability in South Asia, particularly when its economic stakes in Pakistan have expanded rapidly following the launch of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

A network of motorways, energy projects and a port on the Arabian Sea, the plan envisages as much as US$62 billion worth of investment, according to Pakistan.

While Beijing has vastly different relations – and leverage – with the two countries, it has nevertheless been cautious in involving itself in bilateral disputes, as much as Pakistan is the country China likes to call its “all-weather” friend.

In the recent past, however, this has not translated into explicit support for its ally. A case in point is the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, which, as was the case after Pulwama, saw Beijing call for both sides to show restraint.

A month after the Mumbai attacks, China even supported a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) application to designate Pakistan-based Hafiz Saeed of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group as a terrorist, amid global outrage over the attacks. China has also been generally supportive of India’s stance that the Kashmir issue – on which Pakistan has often sought international support – is for the two countries to resolve bilaterally.

Delhi is very interested in whether China’s deepening economic interests change this calculus. Last year, India’s army chief General Bipin Rawat described

Ananth Krishnan is a Visiting Fellow at Brookings India and was previously a China correspondent for India Today and The Hindu The article was published as ‘Opinion’ by South China Morning Post on March 2

Beijing has vastly different relations – and leverage – with India and Pakistan.

It has nevertheless been cautious in involving itself in bilateral disputes, as much as Pakistan is the country China likes to call its “allweather” friend

January-February 2019 ▪

37

INDO-PAK CONFLICT JUDICIOUS ROLE FOR CHINA

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the 16th meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Russia and India in Wuzhen of east China’s Zhejiang Province

the prospect of a “two-front war” as a real concern for India.

While the prospect of Chinese military intervention in an India-Pakistan conflict appears remote in the near term, where China may come to Pakistan’s aid is diplomatically.

Since around 2010, Indian officials say they have seen a shift, for instance, in how China approaches the Kashmir issue.

China has gone ahead with ambitious infrastructure projects in Pakistancontrolled Kashmir despite India’s objections that it was disputed territory and past commitments that Beijing wouldn’t involve itself in the dispute.

Where China’s diplomatic backing has appeared most useful for Pakistan is at the UN Security Council. In 2016 and 2017, China vetoed two applications to designate Masood Azhar, the JeM founder and chief, as a terrorist – a move that would lead to a travel ban and the freezing of his accounts. After the Pulwama attack, which the JeM claimed,

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Beijing’s abiding objective is to ensure stability in South Asia, particularly when its economic stakes in Pakistan have expanded rapidly following the launch of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

▪ January-February 2019

a fresh application to blacklist Azhar – supported by the United States, Britain and France – was lodged with the UNSC on February 27. The 15 members of the sanctions committee have until March 13 to delay the bid, as China did in previous instances.

Beijing’s moves on this front are being closely watched in India. The view in Delhi is that China abstaining – and allowing the terrorist designation to happen, as it did after the 2008 Mumbai attacks – could help de-escalate the current crisis and obviate the need for further pre-emptive action by India.

Blocking the application, on the other hand, would send a clear signal that China is firmly shielding Pakistan from any international censure on the issue, underlining the increasing tension between China’s desire for regional stability on the one hand, and its need to preserve close relations with Pakistan on the other.

That balancing act, it’s safe to say, is now a lot more difficult. 

January-February 2019 â&#x2013;ª

39

TRADE GROWING IMBALANCE

India losing trade battle with China

80% of two-way business last year was imports For trade relations between India and China to become balanced, Chinese firms must also ‘make in India’ and not just sell to India.

40

▪ January-February 2019

 Ananth Krishnan The article was published by The Print on March 5

W

hile the United States and China inch toward a deal to end their bruising trade war, India is still struggling with its lop-sided trading relationship with Beijing.

A commitment from China made by President Xi Jinping to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the “informal” summit in Wuhan in April last year to import more Indian goods, starting with rice, sugar and pharmaceuticals, has had little impact on a widely imbalanced trading relationship.

New trade figures from China’s General Administration of Customs paint an alarming picture of relations with India’s largest trading partner. In 2018, two-way trade reached $95.5 billion, up 13 per cent from the previous year (when it stood at $84.4 billion). India’s imports, however, made up just $18.8 billion.

But if trade has increased, so has

India’s deficit. The trade imbalance, in China’s favour, is now $58 billion, up from $51 billion in 2017. China’s exports to India have grown to $76.7 billion, now accounting for a record 80 per cent of the total two-way trade.

In a relationship fraught with a history of political difficulties, trade has over the past two decades emerged as among the few bright spots. In the past five years alone, two-way trade is up by one-third.

The problem is, even this bright spot is now in choppy waters. Campaigns by India to open up the Chinese market to Indian IT and pharma exports haven’t appeared to have made headway.

In April, at the Wuhan Summit, Prime Minister Modi and President Xi discussed increasing Indian exports of rice, sugar and pharmaceuticals to China. But Indian companies say that statements of intent from Chinese officials haven’t always been followed through with action. Rice and sugar would, in any case, have a limited impact on narrowing the deficit.

India’s larger concern is with regard to services, and the lack of market access for both Indian IT and pharma companies. An uneven playing field is hardly a uniquely Indian problem, and is one of the targets of US President Donald Trump’s trade

Unlike how China approached the West, India opened a market worth tens of billions of dollars to Chinese technology and power companies, while getting little in return, either in the way of Chinese investments in India or in terms of securing market access for Indian companies in China

January-February 2019 ▪

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TRADE GROWING IMBALANCE

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the President of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Xi Jinping, at the East Lake Guest House, in Wuhan, China.

war with China. However, unlike the US, whose market and technology is still invaluable for Chinese companies, India has comparatively little leverage.

Part of it is a problem of India’s own making. India’s approach to trade with China has been ad-hoc and piecemeal, lacking a coherent strategy.

Unlike how China approached the West, India opened a market worth tens of billions of dollars to Chinese technology and power companies, while getting little in return, either in the way of Chinese investments in India or in terms of securing market access for Indian companies in China.

Indian companies, meanwhile, continue to have a range of non-tariff barriers in China, particularly in IT and pharma, where a lack of transparency in regulatory policy has hindered Indian firms. While the lack of a level playing field has certainly disadvantaged Indian companies, here, too, our approach hasn’t helped either.

Unlike most Western countries, it

42

a more coherent trade strategy could help India achieve some of its long-pursued objectives either in the China market or in getting Chinese companies to make in — rather than merely sell to — India is remarkable India doesn’t have an equipped chamber of commerce in Beijing to help navigate the complex legal and regulatory requirements of the China market. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has had a representative

▪ January-February 2019

office in Shanghai that has admirably championed Indian firms, but with very modest resources.

India has suffered from a lack of a coherent strategy that has allowed Chinese companies from telecom to power to enter — and profit from — the Indian market without investing a dollar in India or offering reciprocal access to the China market. Consider telecom. India is now one of the biggest overseas markets for Chinese mobile phone companies, but few are manufacturing in India.

There are lessons from China, too, in how Beijing has used its market to attract foreign companies, while at the same time absorbing foreign technological expertise and investment. While India may not have the leverage to follow Trump’s example with China, there are, perhaps, other lessons on offer. For a start, a more coherent trade strategy could help India achieve some of its long-pursued objectives either in the China market or in getting Chinese companies to make in — rather than merely sell to — India. 

DATANG ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRY GROUP “Time for India to move towards “zero-defect and zero-effect” “Zero defect in production with Zero effect on the environment” “We serve in protecting the environment for future generation Join hands with us for better living world”

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“We, the present generation, have the responsibilities to act as a trustee of the rich natural wealth for the future generations. The issue is not merely about climate change it is about climate justice.”

President of China Mr. Xi Jinping

Prime Minister of India Sh. Narandra Modi

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Datang Environmental Industry Group (DTEG) is specialized in FGD for DeSOx, SCR/SNCR & DeNOx technology and are in this business for last more than 10 years. DTEG entered in Indian market with its subsidiary company Datang Technology & Engineering India Ltd, registered in December 2013.

Businesses:

 DTEG – Specilized in Environmental Protection Services.  CDTE – CDT’s Overseas/Domestic project entity to provide comprehensive One-stop BOT/EPC (+F) services.  DTEI – CDTE’s Indian subsidiary to provide Environmental solution services in the areas of FGD, DeNOx & dust removal.

Datang Environmental Industry Group’s Major Achievements

• Completed installation of FGD for 183 units of Power plants of total 140 GW. • Completed installation of Denox for 153 units of Power plants of total 56900 MW. • DTEG has commissioned 1st FGD system in India of 600 MW unit of ILFS Power project of 2X600 MW at Cuddalore Tamilnadu.

• DTEG also has vast experience of operation and Maintenance of FGD system for many power plants in China.

“Committed to efficient generation of Power with sustainable form on Pollution Control” Datang Environmental Industry Group, China

Datang Technologies & Engineering India Pvt Ltd, India

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Room No. 2, 2nd Floor, Shreeram Bhuvan 772, Mumbai – 400014, Mb. +91 9910072333

January-February 2019 ▪

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MANDARIN INDIA’S FASTEST GROWING FOREIGN LANGUAGE

From NAMASTE to NI HAO The growth of Mandarin language in the Indian consciousness  Nazia Vasi

M

andarin Chinese has become the foremost foreign language for Indians to learn today. It is coveted by Bollywood, international schools and Indian companies that want to spread their wings across the bamboo curtain.

44

This wasn't the case in 2010 when I conceptualized my company, Inchin Closer. My mission was to teach Chinese language and culture to Indian professionals. The thought was ahead of its time. People I spoke to didn’t know what Mandarin was. Most hadn’t sat in a classroom in the last 25 years.

But having lived in Shanghai, China for three years, I understood the importance of bridging the gap between the

▪ January-February 2019

people of the world’s most populated countries. If we didn’t speak each other’s languages, how would we understand our neighbours? Trust them and be able to shape the Asian century together?

My time in Shanghai helped. I had gone to the Paris of the East in the summer of 2006 to teach English. I had learnt Mandarin from a third generation Indian Chinese man named Tony Wu in Mumbai. But when I landed in Shanghai, I

found that I was unable to order water at a restaurant. The helplessness strengthened my determination that if I ever taught Mandarin, it should be effective.

My teaching would ensure that professionals, tourists or friends would never be stranded in a rapidly-developing China.

My experiences in Shanghai also gave me key points to include in the curriculum we teach from today. At one time, a friend’s father was visiting Shanghai for an Expo. He contacted me desperately one day, enquiring where he could find authentic vegetarian food. Being a nonvegetarian, I hadn’t encountered the problem. However, when I learnt that he had been surviving on potato chips for a week because he was uncertain of the vegetarian food offered at his hotel, I realized that being able to express food preferences was a vital topic to teach, especially for Indian professionals. ‘At the restaurant’ is now an integral part of our institute’s Beginners Mandarin textbook, so that each professional who learns Mandarin with us will never go hungry in China.

My deep insights into the Middle Kingdom, experience in working as the India head of a China-India tax and legal consultancy and travels across the breadth of China revealed to me the pain points Indians faced in China. I believe in what Confucius said: If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.

All these experiences culminated in the setting up of my institute, which functions as an India-China consultancy and helps bridge the gap between the two countries linguistically and culturally.

Nazia Vasi is Founder & CEO, Inchin Closer (www.inchincloser.com)

In the beginning I opened my institute in 2010. The first few years were rough. I had to make a mark. I had to build a brand, develop a curriculum, employ teachers from China for an authentic learning experience and create a series of textbooks and materials especially for the Indian audience. Mumbai did not have solutions for any of these challenges at the time. There wasn’t a formalized way to teach Mandarin. Technol-

Beginners Mandarin students rejoice after passing the final test with flying colours

January-February 2019 ▪

45

MANDARIN INDIA’S FASTEST GROWING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ogy and applications for languages were few. Majority of Indians weren’t accustomed to learning from smart phones yet.

Also, at that time, few Mandarin language institutes existed in India. Hence there was no standardized script to follow. With knowledge of China and her national language scarce, convincing people to learn Mandarin was challenging. The dragon hadn’t yet awoken in the Indian consumer consciousness.

There was no predetermined curriculum, textbook or Mandarin levels conceptualized specifically for Indian needs.

Nor was there any market survey on price points or demand of the language.

A course spread over 20 hours, for Rs 5,000, seemed an appropriate point to start by.

Based entirely on my gut feeling, I began teaching Mandarin with Qin Wen, a Native Chinese teacher trained inhouse, using a textbook created by me to friends whom I had convinced Mandarin was the language of the future. Setting up a Chinese language institute in Mumbai was an experiment only I had dared to dream of.

At the time, I was probably the only CEO who wished for competition. Competition would give me a benchmark – one that I could then plot my institute against, and realize where to improve or where I stood out.

In the beginning, bringing in and training Native Chinese teachers to teach Indians was one of the toughest feats the company faced. Selecting the right Chinese teachers was the easy part.

Convincing them to come to India was the difficult part. Not many Chinese parents wanted to send their young daughters to India.

Fortunately, I found help. Mr. Prabhu Deodhar, President of India China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) who at that time stepped in to sponsor and assist in bringing the teachers from China. We were the only institute at that time which specialized in employing native Chinese teachers, a feat we are proud of even today.

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The author with a Chinese film delegation at Gateway of India, Mumbai

Applying Hindi phonetics to Mandarin pronunciations helps fine-tune spoken Mandarin.

Hindi phonetics enables us to pronounce subtle differences in sounds clearly. This makes Hindi an important bridge to learn new languages. Suddenly, a language that seems daunting and difficult becomes easy, because you are learning it from a language that you are already very familiar with Designing the curriculum Being a pioneer in a field has its thrills, but one has to face formidable challenges too. Designing the curriculum to teach Mandarin was one such challenge. I was building a language institute charged with passion, but without the professional expertise of an educator. Deciding on

▪ January-February 2019

the format, what to teach and how to present it were academic hurdles we encountered. I depended on my gut again – the belief was that since Indians and Chinese shared a rich, diverse history, we should use our commonness to know each other better.

While studying Mandarin in Shang-

from a language that you are already very familiar with.

Mandarin gaining popularity

hai, I had realized that applying Hindi phonetics to Mandarin pronunciations helped me fine-tune my spoken Mandarin. Most Indian languages are highly phonetic. They enable us to use subtle differences in sounds that the English language doesn't offer. This makes Hindi an important bridge to learn new languages.

Taking this uniquely Indian technique from my days in Mandarin classrooms, I added the learning of Mandarin phonetics from Hindi into my curriculum.

Our mission was to highlight the connection between our nations and emphasize that we should celebrate our similarities. The textbooks of the institute now seamlessly incorporate Hindi to teach Mandarin phonetics. We have found that this method makes it easier for Indians to pick up perfect Mandarin pronunciations. It also helps ease people into the language. Suddenly, a language that seemed daunting and difficult becomes easy, because you are learning it

2013 is when Mandarin language really picked up in India. Chinese companies had begun to heavily invest in the elephant economy, and the Chinese dragon was waking up to the potential of the Indian economy. In 2014, President Xi Jinping, who is exporting China's model of state-led development in a quest to create deep economic connections, promised to spend US$20 billion in Indian industrial and infrastructure projects over five years.

In 2015, Alibaba invested US$500 million in Snapdeal and US$700 million in Paytm.

The following year, Tencent invested US$150 million in Hike, a messaging app, and a consortium of Chinese investors paid US$900 for media.net. In 2017, Alibaba and Tencent announced or closed deals valued close to US$2 billion—Alibaba’s second tranche of US$177 million in Paytm, US$150 million in Zomato, US$100 million in FirstCry and US$200 million in Big Basket. Tencent’s investments included US$400 million in Ola, US$700 million in Flipkart and a second round of investment in Practo.

By 2017, Bollywood was well known in China. Indian production houses were plotting for ways to enter the Middle Kingdom and perform their own little magic show. Aamir Khan’s 3 idiots had become a pirated and then official media blockbuster. The dragon and the elephant decided to tango on soft power. Yoga gained traction. Through Aamir Khan, the Chinese realized that India wasn’t the land of snake charmers anymore, but a bustling new hub for software, a huge consumer market and a profitable production hub.

As the third round began, the importance of Mandarin grew throughout Indian boardrooms, Large Indian companies demanded Mandarin be taught to their employees to keep them relevant.

International schools too reached out to us to teach Mandarin to impressionable children. We again expanded, developed a new curriculum, found and trained more native Chinese teachers, and rode the wave of Mandarin training for corporates and school-children. By now, our brand-name had been built. Companies and international schools wanted us for the authenticity, quality and professionalism we are now known for.

Revenues grew manifold in those years as demand to acquire a working knowledge of the language gained importance. Businessmen flocked to our centers, eager to gain a taste of Mandarin.

Lawyers, traders, diamond merchants, entrepreneurs and owners of family businesses joined our weekend batches to further their professions. They realized that the language would empower them to speak, negotiate and thereby gain better deals with their clients. Additionally, the knowledge of Mandarin would help them to secure an international posting, simultaneously assuring them a better salary and quality of life. Third generation Chinese also joined our classes to learn the language of their forefathers.

We saw more and more school and college students take to Mandarin too.

They figured the Emperor’s language would enable them to stand out from the crowd in college applications, and give them an edge over the rest of the Indians applying abroad. Our roster of students now also includes politicians who privately seek fluency in Mandarin, enabling them to gain profitable deals with Chinese businessmen.

The third round begins

A part of the Indian consciousness

Thus started the third round of civilization collaboration between India and China.

The first came with Xuan Zhang’s journey to India. The second was British-led tea and opium trade.

In 2016, learning Mandarin got formalized. Indian students gained access to scholarship programs more easily. With knowledge of Mandarin, more Indians could access China’s similarities with

January-February 2019 ▪

47

MANDARIN INDIA’S FASTEST GROWING FOREIGN LANGUAGE

India first-hand. Our institute was invited by the People’s Republic of China’s Consulate, Mumbai, to send the first fully-paid scholarship student to Beijing’s prestigious Tsinghua University to study Mandarin for a year.

Within the same year, our institute started training and registering students for the HSK or Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, a standardized test designed to ascertain the written and comprehension levels of Mandarin for international students.

So our curriculum and materials were revised again, this time to match the HSK exam requirements. We also wanted our curriculum to reflect the changes in experiences that Indians faced in a developing China. Additionally, we were now dealing with a technologically advanced India, one in which working professionals were accustomed to learning through apps.

This advancement enabled our institute to include technological aids into our teaching techniques, leading to the 21st century classrooms we have today.

The year 2019 marks nine years of operations for our institute. We have taught more than 60 Beginner Mandarin courses, 20 Intermediate courses, 10 Advanced Mandarin courses and 10 Character Writing courses. We have taught at seven international schools, trained staff in five Indian and international companies and translated documents and interpreted for scores of companies and delegations.

We’d like to believe that we have built an ecosystem, one where our students are productive parts affecting business, trade, policy, tourism and cultural relations between India and China. The depth of knowledge and understanding they have gained in our classes has emboldened them to apply their awareness forward. Many have joined Fortune 500 companies in India, Singapore, Hong Kong and China and are leading the way these companies do business with China.

Some others are making films based on the culture, stories and poems learnt in class, influencing China in softer, subtler

48

The author with People’s Republic of China Consul General Mr. Tang Guocai, Maharashtra Minister of tourism Mr. Jayakumar Rawal and others

Now lawyers, traders, diamond merchants, entrepreneurs and owners of family businesses learn Mandarin to further their professional goals. The language empowers them to speak, negotiate and gain better deals with their clients. The knowledge of Mandarin helps them secure an international posting, assuring them of a better salary and quality of life ways. Yet others have joined politics, the IFS and IAS. They are influencing the way our countries interact.

Having created the impact I set out to, gained the recognition that I have and having established our institute at the cornerstone of the China-India language exchange, the future looks bright to me.

In the coming years, I plan to adopt technology in our classrooms to teach Mandarin to many more Indians. I plan to partner with schools and universities to develop a China studies center. On the cards is also a teacher training course to enable women to teach Mandarin and earn an income with flexible time

▪ January-February 2019

and location possibilities.

In the next few months, our institute plans to revive classes for children. We hope to grow our translation business. I expect the demand for Mandarin to grow as professional opportunities increase.

This could lead us to create a separate recruitment department, aiding companies to find the right candidates with appropriate Mandarin skills.

For now, our Mandarin language classes continue to impact a new generation of professionals, policy and decision makers. We are glad to be playing a significant part in the people of the world’s two largest nations Inchin(g) Closer. 

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January-February 2019 ▪

49

LANGUAGES TAMIL IN CHINA

Students with their Tamil professor from India, Dr Sundaram Lakshmanan, during the speech contest at the School

Chinna Chinna Aasai

Learning and teaching Tamil in China  Kiki Zhang

E

“Tamil? What? Why?”

very time when asked about my major in college, my answer would lead to predictable questions of “What?” and “Why?” My undergraduate major, Tamil, is one of the oldest languages of the world.

50

It is as old as Chinese, and is spoken by almost one hundred million people in the world. Yet, it is rarely known in China.

In the whole of China, you will not be able to find more than 40 Chinese who can speak Tamil. When people ask me, “Why Tamil?” I cannot offer grand reasons. When I was choosing my major, I didn’t know much about it. I only knew that Tamil is an Indian language.

▪ January-February 2019

Mesmerized by the radiance of the soft power of India, I set my mind to learn an Indian language for major. Tamil was the only Indian language offered that year.

Looking back, I believe destiny brought Tamil and me together. Now I treat Tamil as a part of my body and soul.

I fell in love with it because it became my key to a new world. The world with a completely culture, society and people.

After four years of studying Tamil, I joined the Tamil Service of China Radio International (CRI), a media center that makes multimedia programs for audiences from all around the globe. For most countries, CRI has set up only one official language department. For India, China has two language departments – Hindi and Tamil. We received letters and emails from a large number of Tamilians, expressing happiness and support on hearing Chinese people communicating with them in their mother tongue with great effort and passion.

In 2013, I went to Hong Kong for my masters degree. After graduation, I got a job there. Although I was no longer earning by using Tamil language, it was still a part of my life. I read Tamil news, listened to Tamil music as before, and got to know the Tamil community in Hong Kong.

Time to be a Tamil teacher

In October 2017, when I was working in Hong Kong for the fifth year, I got a WeChat message from Professor Zhu Juanhua, the former director of Tamil Service, China Radio International. Prof Juanhua was also the visiting professor of Communication University of China, where I finished my undergraduate study of Tamil major. She told me that a university in Yunnan province had newly established a Tamil department. A Tamil

Students doing conversation practice

Kiki Zhang (Zhang Qi) is heading the Tamil department at Yunnan Minzu University

“

After four years of studying Tamil, I joined the Tamil Service of China Radio International (CRI), a media center that makes multimedia programs for audiences from all around the globe.

For most countries, CRI has set up only one official language department. For India, it has two language departments – Hindi and Tamil

teacher was urgently needed there. “The university told me that there is increasing demand for Tamil professionals in the job market, so they want to open up a Tamil department. I think you would be a suitable person for this job if you are interested,” she told me.

I was perplexed. Two more years in Hong Kong, and I could become a permanent citizen there. I had never thought of leaving Hong Kong. I liked my

“

life and work there. The message from Prof Juanhua put me on the horns of a dilemma. On one side was the city I loved and the life that I got used to. On the other side was a job teaching Tamil, the language I am crazy about. The idea of helping young people learn this beautiful language was so enchanting.

As suggested by Prof Juanhua, I made a phone call to Prof Fang Zhen, the Dean of the School of South Asian Languages

January-February 2019 ▪

51

LANGUAGES TAMIL IN CHINA and Studies of Yunnan Minzu University (YMU). She sounded very sincere, and asked me to come to the university to deliver a lecture on the introduction of Tamil. “You can take it as a chance to see our campus, the students, and our School, feel the atmosphere here. Then you can decide whether you want to come.”

In November 2017, I came to the campus and gave the lecture. I was touched when some students came to me and showed their enthusiasm in learning more about Indian culture and Tamil language. “Ms Zhang, if you don’t come to teach us Tamil, we might not be able to have this major here in the university!

But we are keen to learn it!” they told me.

When I went back to Hong Kong, the Dean sent me a long message. It illustrated their determination to establish the Tamil Department. “Our School wants to become a pioneer center for south Asian language studies in China. We already offer majors in Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Urdu, Pashto and Sinhalese. Tamil deserves to be one of the languages in our portfolio. You would be the founder of the Tamil Department here. You can pass the torch of Tamil study to the younger generation by becoming a teacher here, ” she told me Her words touched my heart.

Although it was truly a hard decision to make, eventually my passion for Tamil won the battle for the teaching job in the university.

A Tamil teacher in China

I am completing almost an year of teaching in Yunnan Minzu University.

YMU is a university located in Yunnan province, a southeast province of China.

From ancient times, Yunnan has been a transportation hub for China, south Asia and southeast Asia. Compared to other places in China, Yunnan has closer links with its geographical neighbours.

I began with a class of six students, all raring to learn Tamil from scratch.

In the first class, in order to arouse their interest, I listed some Tamil names for them. I asked them to draw lots to decide the name they got. “Poomazhai means

52

Student discussion in class

“

Besides the pragmatic aspect, the charm of Tamil language and culture itself is a big reason to learn this beautiful language. I found that some of my students shared the same story as mine. They did not know much about the language when they opted for it. But once they started learning it, they fell in love with it

flower rain in Tamil, it is written like this. Camaneri means the way of justice, it is written like this… ” One by one, I explained the names to them. The students were full of enthusiasm and curiosity. They said Tamil characters looked like flowers and the language

▪ January-February 2019

“

sounded like it was full of sweetness.

I felt immense pride as a teacher to see my students’ progress in learning Tamil. Now, the students can write small Tamil compositions. They can make up small drama shows and role play in them. Students are so interested in

The author taking a class

Tamil culture. They watch Tamil movies, listen to Tamil music, and sing their favorite song Chinna Chinna Aasai (Small small wish) – from the Tamil blockbuster Roja.

In the big gala at the School, they drew Kolam during Tamil festivals. Sometimes they spoke about chinna chinna aasai – their ‘small small wish’.

“When I go to India, I will meet a beautiful Tamil girl and maybe fall in love with her…”.

“I want to wear a south Indian saree and walk down the beach of Chennai…”.

“I would love to travel around Tamil Nadu someday and taste all kind of Tamil food!”

“I want to research Bharathiyaar’s

poems and translate them into Chinese someday!”

A few weeks ago, we conducted an online video chat with an old Tamil scholar in class. We wanted to convey our thanks for his help for our newlyestablished department. It was also an opportunity for the students to interact with a Tamilian and get encouragement from him. When my students and I spoke greeted and spoke to him in Tamil, we saw tears in his eyes. He said he was very happy to see the effort made by Chinese students to learn his mother language, and their passion to master it.

We know that Tamilians are very proud of their mother tongue. The tears in this old gentleman’s eyes touched our heart.

It was a vivid lesson for my students to know the integrity and pride of the language and culture they are learning.

Another touching occasion was when I got some primary school textbooks from Tamil Nadu. The first pages of the books carried the lyric of the Indian national anthem in Hindi, Tamil and English.

We also saw three small paragraphs in both Tamil and English. These were invocation to the Goddess of Tamil, The National Integration Pledge, and the student’s vow before Mother India. From these, we could deeply feel that those who had written these books were educating students not only about their racial identity, but also about their love for their motherland India.

January-February 2019 ▪

53

LANGUAGES TAMIL IN CHINA

The author with her colleagues at a Deepawali party

Challenges and Solutions The extent of happiness and pride that I felt in seeing the progress of my students was also closely connected to the challenge of teaching Tamil in China.

Tamil is not an easy language to learn.

Secondly, it is very different from Chinese, the mother tongue of these students. In the beginning, reading a normal Tamil text seemed like a tongue twister to them.

Students tried many ways and spent much time practicing the pronunciation, especially the trills. Spoken Tamil is very different from written Tamil. Hence, learning how to speak Tamil was a major challenge for the students. Tamilians speak their mother tongue so fast that if they tried writing the same, it would seem to be a different lanauge.

Another challenge we faced was the lack of Tamil learning and teaching resources in China. You cannot get books, materials or products related to

54

“

Most people believe that close and friendly relations between the elephant and the dragon can be beneficial to all of Asia and the world. We have many corporations and enterprises from both countries doing business with each other. There is so much of cooperation and exchange happening every day among different kinds of organizations in our two countries

Tamil easily. The books on Tamil edited or written by Chinese experts are even rarer. Finding suitable and resourceful textbooks and learning materials continues to be a big task for me.

We had faced these similar challenges when I was studying Tamil in university.

The youngsters now are luckier, because they have much higher access to new media. Our university encourages new pedagogies in teaching languages. We

▪ January-February 2019

“

built spaces for ‘Practice Building of South Asian languages’. As part of this program, classrooms are equipped with multimedia learning devices like touchscreen computers, long-distance live teaching devices and so on. Students can be immersed in the language environment by using these tools.

This semester, we also hired a Tamil professor from Chennai to help students with spoken Tamil. His name

The author and her students attend a traditional south Asian party

is Dr Sundaram Laskhmanan. Besides authentic courses, he can also bring native learning materials in both hard copies and audio-visual form. As for the lack of learning and teaching resources, with the help of our Tamil professor and my Tamil friends, we are editing textbooks and learning materials that are suitable for Chinese students.

Higher demand for Tamil in China

The relations between India and China have always been an important subject between the two countries. Most people believe that close and friendly relations between the elephant and the dragon can be beneficial to all of Asia and the world. We have many corporations and enterprises from both countries doing business with each other. There is so much of cooperation and exchange happening every day among different kinds of

organizations in our two countries. It is also being encouraged at the highest level in both the nations. Numerous Chinese and Indian students are fulfilling their dreams in each other’s countries. The close ties between China and India are undeniable. This is the reason Chinese people sincerely want to learn the languages and cultures of India. Tamil is one of the beautiful, unsung treasures of India. This beautiful language will get more and more attention when people know India better. They will learn that Tamil is a very influential culture and language in south India.

After I became the Tamil teacher in Yunnan Minzu University, I received inquiries from various companies and organizations, especially those doing business in India, about my students. They spoke of their need for Tamil professionals, and sought cooperation with us.

Besides the pragmatic aspect, the

charm of Tamil language and culture itself is a big reason to learn this beautiful language. I found that some of my students shared the same story as mine.

They did not know much about the language when they opted for it. But once they started learning it, they fell in love with it.

One of my students said to me, “Ms. Zhang, an ancient and beautiful language like Tamil should be known by more Chinese people, especially young language learners like us. Tamil and Chinese cultures are both full of wisdom. We should communicate more and know each other better! I would like to become a Tamil teacher or researcher in the future, so that I can promote its brightness among more people and become a bridge of exchange for the two cultures.” After hearing these words, I felt that my decision of leaving Hong Kong for teaching Tamil was the right choice. 

January-February 2019 ▪

55

CHINA INNOVATION

China to complete artificial sun device this year: official

The HL-2M Tokamak device is designed to replicate the nuclear fusion process that occurs naturally in the sun and stars to provide almost infinite clean energy through controlled nuclear fusion, which is often dubbed as the “artificial sun”  PTI report in India Today

C

hina plans to complete the construction of the artificial sun this year, achieving an ion temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, an official has said.

The HL-2M Tokamak device is designed to replicate the nuclear fusion process that occurs naturally in the sun and stars to provide almost infinite clean energy through controlled nuclear

56

fusion, which is often dubbed as the “artificial sun.”

Achieving an ion temperature above 100 million degrees Celsius is one of the three challenges to reach the goal of harnessing the nuclear fusion, and the core of the sun is widely believed to be 15 million degree Celsius, meaning that the ion at the device’s core will be seven times higher than that of the Sun, Duan Xuru, an official of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) was quoted as saying by the state-run Global Times.

The other two challenges are containing the fusion within a limited space in the long term, and providing a sufficiently high density profile, Science and Technology Daily reported on Monday.

“The artificial sun’s plasma is mainly

▪ January-February 2019

composed of electrons and ions, and the country’s existing Tokamak devices have achieved an electron temperature of over 100 million degrees Celsius in its core plasma, and an ion temperature of 50 million degrees Celsius, and it is the ion that generates energy in the device,” Duan said. To bring up the ion temperature to over 100 million degree Celsius, we need higher device parameters, injects and absorbs more energy, and operates with a more advanced working mode, Duan said.

The new HL-2M device will possess such capabilities, and hopefully will elevate the current device’s plasma electric current level which shall greatly enhance the plasma’s parameters providing a main technical support for China’s participation in the experiment and operation of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), Science and Technology Daily reported.

The ITER is a large international scientific project that is a global collaboration of 35 countries, including China, Russia and the US. 

GUPSHUP

GUPSHUP

Image courtesy: BBC.com

‘Virginity Tree’ ritual at New Delhi college shared on Chinese social media A news from India shared on the Chinese social media in February was the ‘virginity tree’ ritual in a college in New Delhi. The news report said that this ritual had been held on Valentine’s Day for many years. On this day, male students would host a pooja (Hindu ritualistic worship) at the tree called the “Virgin Tree” or simply the “V-Tree”.

The students would hang balloons, colourful ribbons and condoms filled with water on the campus tree and pray to “curvaceous goddesses” in the hope that it would help them lose their virginity. A male student dressed as a Hindu priest would perform rituals. Hundreds of boys would sing a hymn in praise of the “hot and sexy goddess”, given the name Damdami Ma. They would offer prasad (food offering) to the goddess, and then dance around the tree and celebrate. This year, girls strongly protested the ritual and demanded that it be shelved, calling it “patriarchal” and “misogynistic”. A BBC news report said that over the years, a legend had grown that worshipping at the tree would help a student lose his virginity within six months. “In a largely conservative country like India where pre-marital sex is still taboo, many young adults believe nothing less than divine intervention will help them hook up,” said the BBC report. Teli Venkatesh, the 19-year-old president of the boys’ hostel union which organized the event this year, described the ritual as “harmless fun”. He said it started “because people wanted to celebrate love”. Female students said the event “sexualized and objectified” women. Perhaps because of the rising tensions over the ritual, students did not put up a poster of a sexy movie star this year. Instead, they put up a poster of India’s celebrity couple, cricket superstar Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma, a Bollywood star.

January-February 2019 ▪

57

Robbers loot Xiaomi phones worth Rs 1 crore Another news on the Chinese social media from India was the robbery of Xiaomi cell phones worth Rs 1 crore. A truck carrying Xiaomi cell phones was robbed in February in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. The incident took place while the truck driver had stopped his vehicle to rest for a while.

The robbers thrashed the driver, tied him to a tree and drove away with the truck containing Xiaomi cell phones worth Rs 1 crore. Police said that the robbery seemed to be preplanned, and suspected the role of a company ‘insider’. Prices of each phone in the truck ranged between Rs 6,000 to Rs 14,000, said the police. A robbery case was registered and an investigation was launched.

Image courtesy: switchedoninsurance.com

Chinese Four Generation Meme Challenge #FourGenerationsOneHouse, which started as a meme in China, captured hearts of people from all over the world. The media called it the Chinese Four Generations challenge, and the ‘most wholesome meme of 2019 yet’. The meme was recreated by families in India, Peru, Norway and other nations, celebrating the love of family.

58

▪ January-February 2019

GUPSHUP

Chandigarh Post Office sends parcel meant for Chaina in Punjab to Beijing, China A woman named Balwinder Kaur, a resident of Chandigarh, sent a parcel containing medicines to her mother who lives at Chaina, a village in Punjab, a state in north India.

Chandigarh is the capital city of Punjab. The General Post Office at Chandigarh thought that Balwinder Kaur had mis-spelt China. So the Post Office sent the parcel to Beijing, China.

The parcel was returned to Balwinder Kaur after about a fortnight. After Balwinder came to know of the blunder, she filed a complaint at the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum.

The Forum directed the Post Office to pay her Rs 5,000 for deficiency in service.

Girls doing the kikli in Punjab, India. Photo courtesy: Dainik Jagran

January-February 2019 â&#x2013;Ş

59

Darjeeling in Sri Lanka!

On February 21, the Twitter handle of China Xinhua News tweeted photographs of tea gardens with the following caption: Darjeeling tea lovers, good news! Sri Lanka is expected to produce 315 million kg of tea in 2019 to meet your demand.

Darjeeling is in West Bengal, India. Darjeeling Tea Boutique, India, has the following to say about ‘Darjeeling teas from Sri Lanka’:

Can the famous champagne of France be produced in China? Can you grow Da Hond Pao, the most revered Chinese oolong on Kenya? With as many as three fakes out of a total of four packets of Darjeeling tea, this shouldn’t surprise you when you hear about Darjeeling teas which are produced in Sri Lanka.

In 2012, the Darjeeling Tea Association revealed that till then, Darjeeling hills had produced about 8,500 million kilograms of tea. But globally, 40,000 million kilograms of tea were sold as Darjeeling tea. It’s 2019, and the gap must have widened since.

60

▪ January-February 2019

GUPSHUP

Photo courtesy: India Today

‘TikTok causes cultural degeneration’, Indian state seeks ban TikTok, the popular Chinese mobile phone application that allows users to shoot and share 15-second videos with lip-sync set to popular film songs and dialogues among others, has become an issue of concern in Tamil Nadu, a state in south India.

Legislators have sought a ban on TikTok. They say youth are getting addicted to the app. They are using it to upload suggestive sexual dance choreography and sexually explicit content by morphing the faces of innocent people, especially women.

January-February 2019 ▪

61

Chinese man’s trick to soothe baby goes viral A father in China came up with a creative way to sneak in a nap during daddy duty. The man, filmed lying on a bed with his infant son, drew a pair of fake eyes on his eyelids to make the child believe he was awake. He even put on a recording of him singing a nursery rhyme to help put the baby to sleep. The baby, thinking he had his father’s full attention, was seen sleeping peacefully. The hilarious clip was a part of a video titled “how fathers react when in charge of babies’’ and was released on Chinese video sharing platform Weibo. It was part of a compilation video released by Chinese news site K618.cn titled ‘Perfunctory ways of fathers taking care of their children’.

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▪ January-February 2019

RECENT ICEC EVENTS Chinese lotus root snacks company plans to enter Indian market

B2B Interactive Session with Indian importers

O

n February 13, India China Economic and Cultural Council along with the Indian Importers Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a focused group discussion on the opportunities for a leading Chinese lotus root snack foods company which plans to enter the Indian market. The event began with a product presentation in which the details of the company and its manufacturing processes

Chinese representative with the President of Indian Importers Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Atul Saxena at the event

were shared. This was followed by a live demonstration by the company representatives of the lotus root snacks.

These snacks were offered for tasting to an Indian audience in order to test the acceptability of the product. Positive response was received for the snack items, as lotus root is already eaten in India in the form of pickle and main course dishes too.

A B2B session was also conducted,

where several importers of foods products interacted with the Chinese company representatives on prospects of local partnership and distributorship of lotus root snacks in India. President of Indian Importers Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Atul Saxena provided key guidance to the delegation on how they can enter the Indian snacks food market, and the standard operating procedures involved.

January-February 2019 â&#x2013;Ş

63

I

ICEC welcomes New Year with a grand Indian party

ndia China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) organized a New Year party in Hangzhou, on January 20, 2019. The event showcased Indian heritage and culture through traditional celebrations, dance, food, and other festivities.

The guests comprised ICEC China clients and some Indians living or studying in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou region.

The guests were surprised with a

64

traditional Indian welcome with tilak, diya and garlands. They enjoyed delicacies like samosa, kheer, boondi laddoo etc. The party décor comprising traditional vases, jars, drums, paintings and handmade products added to the traditional feel of the celebrations.

ICEC Executive Director Audrey Tso gave a brief introduction on ICEC's journey in 2018, and a forecast for 2019.

Interesting quiz games about India

▪ January-February 2019

and Bollywood engaged the guests. The Chinese guests were very happy to dress up in traditional Indian clothes, jewellery and make-up. They waited in a queue to glam themselves up in colorful Indian attire. Children were excited about making rangoli with the colours and sheets provided to them. The guests enjoyed the first-hand experience of making heena patterns on their hands. The event ended amidst great bonhomie and camaraderie.

Brand Air China Limited Air China national flag carrier of P.R.China and member of the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance. Headquartered in Beijing, Air China is committed to providing passengers with the "Four Cs" service of Credibility, Convenience, Comfort and Choice. Air China’s frequent flyer program, with over 50 million members PhoenixMiles has the longest history of any frequent flyer program in China.

Air China and its subsidiaries owned a fleet of 655 aircraft as on December 2017, Air China operated a total of 420 passenger routes, including 101 international routes, 16 regional routes and 303 domestic routes, serving 185 destinations in 40 countries, through our partnership with Star Alliance Air China offered services to 1,330 destinations in 192 countries.

INSPIRING TRUST

“The Initiative proposed by the Chinese government, has started and Air China will propose more routes serving the countries along the - One Belt, One Road”.

Air China inaugurated its first flight between Beijing & New Delhi bridging the common cultures in 2006. The journey of expansion in India continued with the launch of our Beijing & Mumbai flight route in 2015.

The Grand inauguration of Beijing – Mumbai route was attended by the prominent members from The Consulate of P.R.China, Trade Partners, Corporate and Media Partners. This marked a new beginning of Sino-Indian relation of Culture, Trade & Economics.

Air China introduced Brand New wide body Airbus A330-300 for its service to India, operating 5 Weekly Non-Stop Flights between Beijing & New Delhi and 4 Weekly Non-Stop Flights between Beijing & Mumbai offering 3 class configuration of 30 Business Class Fully Flat Bed, 16 Premium Economy and 259 Economy Class Seats.

INSPIRING VALUES Inauguration Beijing – Mumbai Flight

Appreciating Trade Partners: Sometimes saying thank you is just not enough, appreciating the support is a powerful way of displaying our gratitude to our trade partners. Air China appreciates Travel Agents & Trade Partners by awarding them “Recognition Award” for their support.

Product Education to Trade Partners: Introducing products and services, increasing company’s brand awareness and driving sales. Marketing can’t accomplish any of its purposes without effective Product Knowledge. Air China India in our continued effort always maintains close contact with our trade partner and educate them with our product on regular basis. Our partner interacts directly with our guest and it is necessary they have complete knowledge of our product and offer it with confidence. Air China conduct Product Work Shop in major metros & feeder market cities in India.

Recognition Award Mumbai

Travel Agents Product Workshop, Mumbai