China interested in developing Bengal's infrastructure: Mamata

The Chinese government has expressed keen interest in enhancing economic activity with West Bengal as the state is both economically and geographically close to China, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said today.
The chief minister said that the vice-president also expressed a desire to cooperate with the state government in developing infrastructure in West Bengal.
The chief minister was talking to reporters after a meeting with Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao.
Li led a delegation of Chinese ministers and officials at the venue of the meeting at Eco-Park on the outskirts of the city.
The leaders discussed a range of issues - from increasing economic activity and cultural cooperation to tourism during the 45-minute meeting.

Banerjee said that she had also invited the Chinese commerce and investment Minster and the business delegation to attend the upcoming Biswa Bangla Business Summit.

"We also discussed setting up of an auto hub here..We will be jointly manufacturing buses. We also discussed enhancing cultural ties between China and Bengal," she said adding a tourism package for Chinese tourists during Dura Puja had been proposed in the meeting.
Li for his part said that the meeting was fruitful. "We had a fruitful meeting," Yuanchao said.
State Finance Minister Amit Mitra said the Chinese delegation told him that they had conducted a survey which revealed that Banerjee was the most honest politician in India.

The survey had also found that the development in Bengal was taking place at a fast pace.
Li earlier in the morning visited the ancestral house of Rabindranath Tagore at Jorasanko in north Kolkata. He went round the galleries including the Chinese gallery in the Tagore house which has been turned into a museum.
Later in the day, he met state Governor K N Tripathi who hosted a lunch in the visitor's honour.