Asia Times: India's software exporters may turn to China


	October 9, 2001	atimes.com

Media/Information Technology

India's software exporters may turn to China

NEW DELHI - India may look at China for software exports as the US market, accounting for about 62 percent of Indian software exports, could experience a further slump after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Stressing the "look east" policy, India's Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) said that China has been identified as a big market, offering vast potential for Indian players as it is very strong in electronics hardware, but comparatively weak in software.

"The Chinese government at the state and municipality levels showed keen interest to understand what had contributed to India's success in software," the ESC said. It indicated that there is huge scope for Indian companies in China's telecom sector, as well as for e-governance, managerial manpower and trained IT professionals.

China, which has posted an average 27.7 percent growth in software, sent a delegation to India during April-May 1999 for the first time. The interest showed by the Chinese government came after India's success in the United States, Canada, Western Europe and Japan, ESC said, adding that Indian companies too are looking for new pastures for achieving $50 billion export target by 2008.

To establish mutual cooperation in the IT sector, ESC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Software Association (CSIA).

(Asia Pulse)