Sunday, April 10 2005 18:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao today (Apr 10, 2005) proposed cooperation between India and Beijing in the Information Technology sector, asserting that both the Asian neighbours could together lead the world IT industry.

On an IT-focussed visit in Bangalore, Wen said that if India and China cooperate in the IT industry, "we will be able to lead the world IT industry and when the particular day comes, it will signify the coming of the Asian century of the IT industry".

"If we believe that the development of IT industry symbolises the future of the science and technology and the economy, then the cooperation between our countries to develop the IT industry will symbolise the prosperity of our two nations in future," he said.

"I strongly believe if we join hands together, we will certainly be able to set a new trail in the IT business world," he told executives of India's biggest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services, in an interaction with them at their facility in Bangalore.

Wen said that India had the advantage in software and China in hardware. "Both of our two great nations are full of intellectual people."

The Chinese leader also observed that the Indian software industry was taking an important position in the world and China in recent years had made rapid progress in IT industry.

Agreeing that the cooperation was "just like two Pagodas, one hardware and one software", he said, "Combined, we can take the leadership position in the world."

During his hectic schedule, Wen also visited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and called for enhanced cooperation and tapping new avenues in high tech areas between India and China.

Wen visited ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), India's main centre for satellite development, and said that there were a lot of areas for enhanced cooperation in high-tech space, as well as exploring new opportunities.

"Basically, it was a sensitisation visit. He (Wen) generally expressed the view that there are a lot of areas for cooperation and avenues in high-technology areas," ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair said after Wen's visit to ISRO.

India already has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China in space applications in the area of remote sensing.

The visiting Chinese premier also paid a visit to Huawei Technologies, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Chinese global telecom giant, and spoke to its executives and a few employees.

Wen wound up his two-day visit to Bangalore with an interaction with top scientists at the Indian Institute of Science before emplaning for Delhi in the afternoon.