Chinese municipality keen to invest in Lucknow

SINOINDIAN TRADE TIES Wenzhou Municipal Corp officials evince interest in setting up a footwear components park here

LUCKNOW: The Wenzhou Municipal Corporation (WMC), an autonomous municipality in China known for producing around 80% of the world’s footwear in its industrial clusters, has expressed interest to set up a leather and shoe components park in Uttar Pradesh, especially in Lucknow.

Additional municipal commissioner, PK Srivastava, said, “If Wenzhou is ready to invest in Lucknow, it will help increase employment here.”

Principal secretary (industrial and infrastructure development ), Alok Sinha, Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) officials, and local shoe traders have been invited to attend an international footwear conference in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, on June 19.

A UP trader, who will be attending the event, said, “After the closure of unregistered slaughterhouses in UP, the rawhide supply has been hit. Some Kanpur tanneries have threatened to shift to Kolkata and other cities for survival. In such a time, this park can help the leather industry stay afloat."

The conference is also expected to provide a platform to local shoe companies such as those in Unnao, Kanpur and Agra.

UP chief secretary Rahul Bhatnagar and regional chairman of council for leather exports (CLE) Javed Iqbal have also been invited to participate in the ‘China-India (Wenzhou) dialogue on leather industry capacity cooperation’.

The initiative is aimed at boosting trade and cultural activities between the two cities, and follows after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between LMC and WMC on April 24, for furthering Sino-Indian economic, cultural, tourism and educational ties.

Considered to be among the most progressive municipalities of Communist China, Wenzhou has opened up to the outside world for expanding its business and increasing employment. It is also known for its clusters of garments, automobiles, electrical equipment and auto ancillaries a segment that is thriving in China.

India is among WMC’s largest markets, and UP, with its huge population and low cost products, could attract significant investments.

LOCAL FOOTWEAR TRADERS HAVE BEEN INVITED TO AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN WENZHOU