Chinese team to visit North-East to study investment: Tripura Minister

A Chinese delegation is expected to visit Assam and Tripura in September to explore potential investment opportunities and assess the resources available across northeastern India, Tripura Health and Family Welfare Minister Sudip Roy Barman said on Saturday.

Roy Barman, who returned from China on Friday after being part of an Indian delegation, said the Chinese team would first travel to Assam and then visit Tripura as part of its assessment of possible investment sectors.

“A Chinese delegation would visit Assam and Tripura in September to study the probable investment sectors in the northeastern region and the region’s available resources,” Roy Barman told IANS.

The delegation is expected to meet senior government officials, traders, investors and experts in Guwahati to gain a better understanding of the economic potential of the eight northeastern states.

The proposed visit follows an Indian delegation’s trip to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, where Indian and Chinese officials, investors and business representatives held discussions on trade and investment.

The 10-member Indian delegation was led by Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Ram Madhav and included senior ministers from Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. The visit, which began on August 11, was supported by the Union Ministry of Industries and Commerce and the India Foundation.

Roy Barman, who also handles the Information Technology, Science and Technology, and Environment portfolios in Tripura, said the Indian delegation visited a waste-management facility in Guangzhou that generates electricity from garbage and other waste through an environmentally friendly process.

The minister said the Indian delegation highlighted the northeastern region’s substantial natural resources, including its forest and mineral wealth, to Chinese officials and business representatives.

He also pointed to improvements in surface connectivity, particularly rail links, which have made transportation between the Northeast and other parts of India easier. Connectivity through Bangladesh could further transform the region’s access to international markets.

A major development in this regard is the construction of a bridge over the Feni river in southern Tripura. Once completed, the 1.5-km bridge is expected to provide direct connectivity between the Northeast and Bangladesh’s Chittagong international seaport.

Chittagong is the nearest international seaport to northeastern India and is located around 72 km from Sabroom, a border town in southern Tripura.

Roy Barman said the Feni bridge could significantly strengthen Tripura’s position as a logistics and commercial gateway for the entire northeastern region.

“The Feni bridge would turn Tripura into a business hub for all the northeastern states,” he said.

The state government is also looking to attract investment in rubber-based industries. Tripura is one of India’s leading rubber-producing states and ranks second after Kerala in rubber cultivation.

The region’s strategic location further adds to its economic potential. Of the Northeast’s 5,687-km outer boundary, only about 250 km is shared with the rest of India, while the remaining 5,437 km consists of international borders with China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

The proposed Chinese delegation’s visit could therefore provide an opportunity for the northeastern states to showcase their natural resources, improving infrastructure and geographical advantages while exploring new avenues for investment, manufacturing and cross-border trade.