India-China business meet kicks off in Shillong

SHILLONG: A conclave on India-China business ties began at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here on Thursday. The meet was held in association with the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi.
Director of IIM-Shillong Amitabha De said, “China has gone through major changes in the past three decades. By examining the Chinese model, it is evident that power comes from economy.”
Former ambassador Kishan S Rana delivered the keynote speech in which he shared his experiences of serving in a culturally-dissimilar country.He talked about how China changed from a restricted country in the 1960s to one with an open and bustling economy.
According to Rana, Guanxi, which means relationships in Chinese, is the most important aspect of any business with China. The same is true in India where people utilize the networking means available to them, he explained. He mentioned that offering concessions and courtesies is as important in Chinese culture as it is in the Indian.
Sanjeeb Kakoty and Rohit Dwivedi, faculty members at IIM-Shillong, also talked about the impact of China’s changing ecology on other countries and how India is trying to culturally connect with China.