Chengdu is exploring more opportunities for the IT and software outsourcing industry that brought forth by the launch of Chengdu-Bangalore direct fl ight which took off last weekend. 

Chengdu mayor Ge Honglin arrived at India’s tech hub with a 50-member business delegation by the first fl ight to Bangalore and attended an investment promotion event in the city, which was jointly sponsored by governmental departments of Chengdu. 

Showcasing Chengdu as a centre of science, commerce, finance and as the hub of transportation and communication, Ge said 130 of Fortune 500 firms had set up businesses in Chengdu, making it the most favored destination in central and western China. 

“Chengdu is an excellent gateway to China for Indian companies with its huge talent base, low operating cost, government support and presence of large multinational IT and outsourcing firms,” Ge said at the meeting. 

The software and outsourcing industry in Chengdu realized a remarkable 35% annual growth successively in the past seven years and a number of internationally leading companies have settled down in the city, including Intel, Software, IBM, Symantec, Oracle and Wipro. CEO of Encore India Vinay Deshpande said the IT and outsourcing industry is undergoing a rapid growth in India and that Indian companies are seeking closer cooperation with Chengdu counterparts, since there are “considerable complementarities” between the IT and outsourcing industry companies in the two cities.