Indian and Chinese national flags flutter side by side at the Raisina hills in New Delhi, India, in this file photo. [Photo/Xinhua]

Business: Face-to-face contact key to traders

Indian entrepreneur Sunil Kumar is excited about resuming hisbusiness in China on Monday after two-and-a-half years of restrictions causedby COVID-19.

Yiwu, a thriving center of commodities trade in Zhejiangprovince, is host to a large number of Indian traders.

As many as 107 Indian traders and businessmen who were stuck inIndia since March 2020 landed in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, on Aug 9 ona China Southern Airlines charter flight from New Delhi. They were greeted atthe airport with banners in English and Chinese celebrating their arrival.

This is the first business charter flight from India to Chinasince COVID-19 hit.

All 107 businesspeople went through a mandatory 10-day quarantine in asmall resort near the airport. When that ended over the weekend, they headedfor Yiwu. The passengers spent three days in quarantine in New Delhi beforethey left for China.

"I have been doing foreign trade business in Yiwu sinceApril 2010 and Yiwu has become my second home. I am really excited to return toYiwu. I could not expect that again I will return here and begin my oldbusiness," said Sunil. "I am very much happy and enthusiastic tobegin my old business in Yiwu."

Sunil came to India in Jan 2020 on a vacation and he booked hisreturn ticket one month later. He had to stay in India for the nexttwo-and-a-half years due to COVID-19 measures imposed by both India and Chinato fight the pandemic.

Du Yuegang, CEO of Zhejiang Tony Supply Chain Co, took theinitiative to bring the Indians back to China. The company was well known tomany Indian businessmen during their stay in China before the pandemic.

India is one of Yiwu's largest export destinations. In 2021,Yiwu's trade with India reached 17.58 billion yuan ($2.6 billion), withyear-on-year growth of 38.5 percent. Exports reached 16.76 billion yuan, up33.8 percent, according to data released by the Commerce Bureau of Yiwu.

More than 2,000 Indian merchants used to live in Yiwu, theIndian businessman said.

Some of the Indian businessmen already have long-term visas tostay in China. Others got new business visas valid for the next few months.

"I will work hard and contribute to boost bilateral trade andrelations between the two countries," said John Alhat, another Indian whoreached Hangzhou. He went to India in Jan 2021 to be married and stayed therefor more than one-and-a-half years.

Business owners on both sides expect that more charter flightswill be operated between the two countries in the near future. It will bring anopportunity for face-to-face contact that is important to maintain bilateraltrade and relations. Many more Indian businessmen and traders are waiting toreturn to China.

Separately, 163 Pakistani businessmen and traders landed in Yiwuon July 30, according to the Yiwu municipal government.

Via: https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202208/24/WS6304ee45a310fd2b29e73d70.html