News: India has an edge over China for Germans

(PTI 23/03/2007) Kolkata - Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection and sound legal framework puts India at an advantage against China over German company looking for investments in the region. "India has an edge over China. It offers IPR protection and a stronger legal framework against China. Many German companies are planning to invest in India," a member of a visiting German delegation Satish Batra told PTI. "Many German companies in China are facing problems in business due lo lack of IPR and they are even planning to relocate," he said. Batra said China was known only for as a low cost producer, but quality was not good. India was a quality producer and costs were moderate compared to the international level. "Companies that are looking at quality and not cheap products," are strongly considering India," Batra added. He said now the German SME sector also looking at India to set up their second manufacturing facility as well as for joint ventures. "I am keen to sell products and want to form a JV in India with a local partner," Batra, who is also managing director of Horizon GmbH, said. A similar view was given by Wulf Christian Ehrich, delegate and an official of a German chamber. Trade data showed that German companies operating in China were not only facing stagnation in growth, but also experiencing slowdown, while, trade with India has grown almost 50 per cent to 10 billion Euros in 2006, another German delegate said.