Chinese enterprises are welcome in India, S. Jaishankar, the Indian ambassador to China, said in Beijing Saturday.

"With bilateral trade between India and China reaching US$52 billion in 2008, China became the largest trade partner of India,” Jaishankar said during a visit to China Non-ferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (NFC).

Jaishankar remarked that Chinese enterprises are more active in bilateral trade than their Indian counterparts.

"India was the 10th largest trade partner of China in 2008,” said Jaishankar. He said he hoped Indian exports to China would grow in the coming years.

Chinese enterprises have recently made great progress in providing contracting and labor services, according to Zhou Gang, a former Chinese ambassador to India.

Zhou said bilateral trade between China and India is an important part of the strategic partnership between the two countries and is developing in a positive and promising way.

The two ambassadors visited NFC together on Saturday.

Luo Tao, chairman of the board of NFC, expressed his wish for greater cooperation with Indian counterparts.

He said Ambassador Jaishankar’s visit to the NFC would enhance bilateral understanding and boost trade between the two nations.

NFC, a major environmentally friendly enterprise with a scientific management system, has acted as general contractor on many key projects in the Middle East, central Asia, Africa and other regions.

Luo Tao (2nd L), chairman of the board of China Non-ferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (NFC), delivers a welcome speech to S. Jaishankar (1st L), Indian ambassador to China and Zhou Gang (2nd R), former Chinese ambassador to India. The two ambassadors visited NFC on Saturday.