Two Years of Accomplishments
Chinese interest in AP was also evident when leading news agency Xinhua reported Naidu ' s meeting with Chinese vice-premier Wang Yang in Beijing . Naidu was also interviewed by Xinhua .
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu , during the past two years , spent considerable time , wooing foreign investors to the cash-strapped state as he attempts to industrialize the primarily agrarian economy . Naidu , who is credited with transforming Hyderabad into an information technology hub during his tenure as Chief Minister of the united state , has been looking eastward this time around . He has so far visited Singapore , Japan and China to pitch Andhra Pradesh to potential investors .
All through his trips , the Chief Minister batted for Andhra Pradesh as the gateway to the country ’ s hinterland , He has been successful in highlighting the potential for the state to become a logistics hub on India ’ s east coast . While stressing the enormous opportunities in India as an economic power , he sought to focus on the advantages of AP , as the gateway to India .
His efforts to transform the state into a logistics and transportation hub by attracting investments from manufacturing economies such as China , Japan , South Korea , Singapore , and Malaysia are bearing fruit .
The hands-on Chief Minister took considerable pains in getting down to the brass tacks during his foreign trips . Writing about Naidu ' s zeal in understanding ground situation during his foreign visits , financial daily The Mint wrote : “ People who travel with him on foreign tours say Naidu has untiring energy . His day begins at 7am and he ’ s on the move till he rests at 11pm . All the while , he is meeting corporate executives or visiting projects — tourism and infrastructure — that he could replicate in AP .”
So involved was the CM with these visits that he had ensured that even the business cards of the members of the AP delegation were printed in Chinese and Japanese , besides audio-visual presentations on AP ’ s potential being prepared in these languages .
Singapore
As a result of his efforts , Singapore prepared the master plan for the capital city Amaravati free of cost . The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore is helping the state to draft policy frameworks for ease of doing business .
China
Due to the CM ’ s initiative to start dialogue with the Chinese investors , a string of firms from the red dragon have shown more than passing interest in AP . Guizhou International Investment Corp . came forward to jointly develop a 2,000-acre industrial park with an investment of $ 500 million along with GMR Infrastructure Ltd . Guizhou International promised to bring in Chinese manufacturing companies making electronics , power equipment , wind and solar energy and smart technologies to the park at an estimated investment of $ 2-3 billion over five years . Chinese firms such as TCL Corporation , Trina Solar and JA Solar Holding Company were among several companies which expressed interest in investing in Andhra Pradesh . Chinese interest in
AP was also evident when Xinhua reported Naidu ' s meeting with Chinese vice-premier Wang Yang in Beijing . Naidu was also interviewed by Xinhua .
Japan
Naidu wants a large piece of the $ 35-billion pie Japan has committed to invest in India over the next five years . As a result of his persuasion , Japan offered help to build AP ’ s capital , including financing the construction of Amaravathi and providing for transportation .
The state government is also in advanced talks with Japanese International Cooperation Agency and Asian Development Bank to finance pockets of the Vizag- Chennai Industrial Corridor . AP also signed a pact with METI to promote direct investment by Japanese firms in areas such as urban development , infrastructure , manufacturing , agriculture , food processing and IT .
Mayewaka Manufacturing Co . Ltd ., Japan ’ s largest poultry processing machinery manufacturer , has come forward to build a mega food park in Nellore district with an investment of $ 8-9 billion from 24 Japanese firms , including in cold chain infrastructure .
Sumitomo Corp . will develop a 4,000MW coal-fired power station in Srikakulam district besides assisting the government get foreign investments in the food-processing industry .
Japanese interest in investing in AP is so overwhelming that it spurred the State to introduce Japanese language course in its major universities . v JUNE 2016 ANDHRAPRADESHMAGAZINE . ORG 35