The Hindu Business Line : `India, China can team up for Olympics'

INDIA and China must come together in the area of information technology by combining their software and hardware prowess to tap the Chinese market, according to Mr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of China-India Software Association.

Speaking at the INDIASOFT 2004 conference here, Mr Choi said the Beijing Olympics 2008 would offer a huge opportunity for the design and supply of both IT systems and services.

Early preparations for this event will hit the market in the shape of contracts for the design, installation and operation of a networked, multi-lingual information services system, a data-integrity and security software system and for developing a digital press messaging facility, he said.

Indian and Chinese software companies can also team up to get a bigger slice of international market.

While Chinese companies can look for gaining knowledge and expertise through joint ventures, Indian firms can look forward to accessing some fresh thinking and innovations from the Chinese partner, he added.

"Indian can provide the software to be embedded in the electronic hardware manufactured by the Chinese. The Chinese can provide the hardware platform for software development in India. And mutually both the countries can collaborate on research and development in the area to cater to the high-end part of the market," Mr Choi said.