Hosted by the
Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) in collaboration with B.C. Ministry of International Trade and the Indian government, the inaugural
BC-India Partnership Summit held in Vancouver September 15, 2016, was a tremendous success. The summit built upon relations that have been amplified since B.C. opened three
Trade and Investment offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chandigarh, India. These offices have been busy expanding the B.C. trade network on the ground in India, and were essential to forging relations with the eight prominent Indian business and government delegates that attended the summit.
The focus of the summit was
infrastructure needs and
clean technology to support India’s Smart Cities Mission. Smart Cities is an urban development vision that integrates
Information Communication Technology (ICT) to manage cities’ assets and offer new consumer experiences and convenience which stimulate economic growth and job creation.
There is a perfect match between what India is looking for and what British Columbia has to offer. India is looking for resources, clean technology, knowledge, innovation and experience.
British Columbia has expertise and knowledge in a wide variety of projects and services related to building infrastructure, resources in the form of lumber, metal and minerals; clean technology related to water and waste management, power consumption management, pollution solutions, and green power technology. B.C. also has
leading education expertise, with our universities and colleges looking for innovative partnerships to deliver education and technical skills to Indian youth.
The summit included an evening networking reception and a day of speaker panels. Three B.C. cabinet ministers made remarks at the summit: Finance Minister Michael de Jong,, Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services Minister Amrik Virk, and Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson. The stacked panels included experts and CEOs from B.C. and India including:
BioCube,
Powertech Labs,
BCIT,
KPMG India, and
India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd. (IIFCL), to name a few. Topics covered a wide range for topics including an overview of the opportunities in India and the capabilities of B.C. companies with regard to resourcing and structuring partnership deals. Many of the 180 attendees were inspired to build connections and pursue potential opportunities that came about as a result of the summit.
India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and was ranked as the fifth-highest destination for B.C. origin exports in 2015, with1.7% ($623.4 million) of B.C.'s commodity exports shipped there.
To learn more about B.C.’s thriving
ICT and
clean technology sectors contact our global network of
Trade and Investment Representatives.