NAVEEN Srivastava, India's new top diplomat in Shanghai, sees great opportunities to expand bilateral economic and cultural relations. He tells Yao Minji that both Indian and Chinese youth "want to reach the sky."

When Naveen Srivastava, the new Indian consul general, arrived in Shanghai last week, it was a return after 12 years. He was posted to Hong Kong in 1995, only two years after he joined the foreign service.

In 1997, when Hong Kong was returned to China's sovereignty, Srivastava was posted to Beijing, where he served as first secretary for three and half years. During that time he made frequent trips to Shanghai. After leaving Beijing he worked at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi and Washington DC, until his Shanghai posting.

"After I left the Beijing posting, I came back to Beijing a few times, but this is my comeback to Shanghai after 12 years," the consul general tells Shanghai Daily. He's glad to be back where he can practice his Mandarin Chinese.

"When I left Beijing, there were only a few Indian companies and many were only starting to establish their presence in China, such as NIIT, and now NIIT has over 200 training centers all over the country."

Bilateral trade has grown dramatically from US$3 billion in 2001 to US$74 billion in 2011, and the target set by leaders in both countries is to achieve US$100 billion by the year 2015.

The target is not unrealistic, considering the combined populations of 2.5 billion, the well-established ties and the still rapidly increasing business collaborations.

Srivastava's jurisdiction, namely Shanghai and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, accounts for one-third of all this trade.

India's total trade with this eastern region was more than US$28 billion in 2011, making the consul general's position critical.

The top diplomat in Shanghai has arrived in the 62nd year after the establishment of diplomatic relations and the year of India-China Friendship and Cooperation, announced by President Hu Jintao and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when they met for the BRICS summit in New Delhi in March.

"This is a step forward in our bilateral relationship. We always have regular contacts at high political levels. Our leaders meet frequently and they have met at least 13 times over the last few years," the consul general says.

"And this high-level contact has also extended to people over the past years. There is more tourism between the two countries, more business contacts happening and more educational and cultural exchanges. The relations have expanded in all areas."

In 2011, the office organized a variety of cultural exchange activities including Odissi and Kathak dance performances, the India Tourism roadshow, an exhibition of modern Indian art at the Hangzhou Museum, among many other events. It also celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of writer and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore, who twice visited China and was a pioneer in establishing friendly relations between the two countries.

The Indian Consulate General in Shanghai issued 35,000 visas in 2011, 60 percent of which were business visas, the rest mostly tourist visas. The total was almost twice the number issued in 2007, and the number of tourist visits has increased almost three-fold.

Srivastava, having arrived just a week ago, has already planned trips to his jurisdiction to understand what the local governments want and to help establish links between Indian companies and local business partners.

"Shanghai is a very important area for India-China relations. I hope to be able to reach out to more cities and counties across this region, and we hope to see how Indian companies can collaborate with them to meet their goals. It's my job to see where India can help," he said.

There are about 250 Indian companies in China now, covering a wide spectrum of areas including IT, banking, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, among many more. And the consul general sees even greater growth potential for Indian companies in China, especially in the IT, engineering and pharmaceutical sectors.

"The Indian IT industry has played a key role in putting India on the global map. India's IT industry clocked US$101 billion in revenue in 2011. Many Indian IT majors have established their presence in China with most of them being concentrated in this region," he says.

"And it would be beneficial to both Indian and Chinese companies if you can make it easier for Indian companies in the Chinese market. Chinese companies can collaborate with us and increase their global outreach."

It is similar in the engineering and pharmaceutical areas, where Indian companies are expected to develop further partnerships with Chinese enterprises.

Srivastava's advice for Indian companies wishing to do business in China is to "come with a definite strategy about what your strengths are."

"China is very large, unless you are here, you can't understand its market," the consul general explains.

Chinese companies, on the other hand, have also established their presence in India in variety of industries. Srivastava encourages more Chinese companies to consider the option of India, a very accessible market for Chinese business.

"It's a very welcoming market, especially in areas like infrastructure. We have very liberal policies about foreign companies participating in infrastructure projects," says Srivastava.

He doesn't see much impact of the slowing economy from both countries on India-China trade, though it might slow down in some sectors.

Instead, he is proud of young Indians who are seeking for opportunities in China.

He sees great advantages in their picking up languages quickly and having a spirit of adventure.

"Indian youths want to reach the sky, and this is how India's growth has happened, and I see the same in Chinese youths. This is one area where I see similarities and advantages in terms of future growth and careers," he concludes.