Shanghai, June 26
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today proposed an “effective alliance” between India and China in the Information Technology sector by channelling their “potent force” to bridge the digital divide that is stifling economic and social development in both the nations.

“While India excelled in the area of computer software, China has emerged as a major power in the computer hardware sector,” Vajpayee said while addressing the biggest-ever Information Technology event hosted by Nasscom in the gleaming east Chinese city.

“It is self-evident that our respective core competence in hardware and software provides a natural ground for an effective alliance in the IT industry,” Vajpayee said on the penultimate day of this six-day official visit to China.

He noted that the strong international brand recognition of Indian IT firms is an asset that could enrich an India-China IT partnership and stated that both fastest developing nations faced the challenge of a “digital divide”.

At the same time, Vajpayee also pointed out the existing information gap between Indian and Chinese businesses who have not yet realised the potential for cooperation in various sectors.

“An awareness gap between the industries in the two countries appears to have inhibited a more vigorous interaction,” he said while lauding the Nasscom for organising the day-long seminar on the subject “India & China: challenges and opportunities in the IT sector”.

The seminar was also attended by Han Zheng, the Mayor of Shanghai, China’s largest city as well as the industrial and financial capital.

Explaining India’s efforts to bridge the digital divide, he said the country could share its experiences with China, which had a similar diversity of regional, educational and social patterns.

“A sharing of experiences in this important objective could help to allow better strategies in both countries to bridge the digital divide,” he said at the meeting held at the huge Shanghai International Convention Centre.

Vajpayee, flanked by External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and IT Minister Arun Shourie, pointed out another “potential strategic gain” from an India-China partnership in IT sector.