'Comprehensive pilot area to promote business between India and China'

The comprehensive pilot area being developed in China will provide a platform to promote e-commerce activities between India and China, a senior Chinese official said on Tuesday.

The pilot area programme is aimed at promoting development of cross-border e-commerce and support new modes of foreign trade development. China has approved 12 such pilot areas.

The pilot area will provide facilities such as single-window system, risk control system, logistic integration and effective connectivity, said Shi Huangkai, Deputy Director of China (Hangzhou) Cross Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Area.

Huangkai was speaking at an event aimed at business promotion for the Comprehensive Pilot Area. Huangkai is a part of the visiting Chinese delegation.

In India, about 500 million people use Internet as compared with China with 700 million users.

Other visiting officials spoke about the huge opportunities across many sectors in Hangzhou for Indian companies.

Chinese Embassy Counsellor Li Baijun said the Embassy was committed to provide a platform to boost bilateral trade relations.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashish Sharma, General Manager of Indian e-commerce website Paytm said such pilot areas will help them understand the complicated business issues effectively.

"We encounter several hurdles (while doing business abroad). We do not know duty to be levied, taxes to be paid. We are also unaware about the currency needed to buy products and shipping charges. Such platforms will help," Sharma said.

Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises, said the ongoing campaign by certain sections for a boycott of Chinese goods was "malicious, inaccurate and misleading".