Byers opens Marconi's $50m Delhi plant on Asia trade trip
Within the space of a week, two senior Government Ministers visited Asia and the Far East to promote E-commerce. Stephen Byers, Secretary of State for the DTI opened Marconi's new $50 million site in Delhi whilst his Department's E-minister Patricia Hewitt is promoting E-commerce in China and Japan.
As well as giving a series of speeches outlining the building of 'commercial links' between India and the UK, including a new programme of training, Stephen Byers opened Marconi's new plant in Delhi saying, "This is a significant investment in India by a major British company and I am very glad to see it happen... Marconi will be looking to work with the wealth of talent that India has in advanced software solutions."
According to a Government press release issued before he left on his trip 'The visit will also help publicise the UK's growing network of trade offices in India and promote the UK as the investment destination of choice for Indian companies, especially IT companies'. At the time, Byers said "The trade partnership between the two countries is heading for record levels - British investment into India now means we are the largest single investor in the country. Marconi has shown good vision in choosing India as the location for its new development centre. India is set to become one of the most exciting knowledge-driven economies of the 21st century."
Speaking of the decision to locate its newest site in India, Marconi's Director of Education Mackenzie-Smith said: "The reason we chose India for this investment is the high standard and number of engineers available here, especially software developers. The Indian government aims to make India the number one software exporter in the world by 2008. The number of people leaving university with IT qualifications in India is twice the total in the USA, producing a highly-skilled and exceptionally motivated workforce."
Almost immediately after Stephen Byers returned to the UK, his Departmental colleague E-Minister Patricia Hewitt, left for China to address the Ministry of Information Industry as well as Japan to promote the UK as 'the partner of choice for trade and investment in E-commerce and the new technologies'. She said "The UK is the number one choice for investment into the EU, and Europe's leading E-trading nation. We are the world's largest overseas investor, and a world leader in mobile telephony, digital television, games and other creative industries. That makes the UK perfectly placed to be China and Japan's best friend in Europe."
Patricia Hewitt will also launch the UK Government's mobile website UKNow in Tokyo which will be accessible by mobile phone from anywhere in the world.