While addressing a conference on connectivity and trade relations between China and India on Wednesday Zhanwu said “We are looking forward to bullet trains from Kolkata to Kunming in southwestern China. The whole of Asia will be connected,”

The train will pass through other neighboring countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh. "With joint efforts of India and China, a high-speed rail link could be established between the two cities," Zhanwu said at a conference here.

He further said that "It will only take a few hours to reach Kolkata from Kunming if the rail link becomes a reality," neighboring companies like Myanmar and Bangladesh would benefit from the project. "We may have a cluster of industries along the route. That increases the possibility of economic development of countries involved in the 2,800 km-long projects," he asserted.

Zhanwu described India as a rising economy and said China wants to maintain stable relations with its neighbors. He added that the rise of Indian economy is irreversible, despite the fall in the value of rupee lately.

Asserting that the much-vaunted Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is not a scheme designed by China to conquer the world or its neighborhood, Mr. Zhanwu said the project is “shared benefits and development" for all countries.