STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has suggested that the model adopted by China to promote Yunnan province could be used to develop Assam.
Country Director of ADB, Kenichi Yokoyama, who attended the inaugural session of the India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ Meet here on Tuesday, observed that China's Yunan province and Assam have similarities as both are landlocked and rich in natural resources.
China transformed the Yunan province by connecting it with Myanmar, Thailand and a few other neighbouring countries and doing very good business. India can replicate the Yunan province model to promote Assam in the same way, he said.
Making a presentation on the prospects of Indo-Bangladesh cross-border trade in the light of recent development during the stakeholders’ meet, Yokoyama said even though the North East has tremendous natural and other resources, the region’s contributions to the country’s economy is comparatively very low. He said there is an urgent need to enhance the region’s contributions in exporting various items including tea.