India far ahead of China in IT but Chinese firms catching up on IT tech: Chinese IT expert
Beijing, Dec 11: India's IT sector, one of the mainstays of its economy, is much ahead of its Chinese counterpart in the global markets but the firms from China are catching up and doing well in e-commerce, autonomous driving, AI and cloud services, according to a top Chinese IT executive.
Mike Liu, the author of the book titled 'The Rise of Indian IT', said unlike the Indian firms, who still have a sway in the global markets, especially in IT outsourcing, China's software revenue is mostly from home.
Over 95 per cent of China's IT earnings come from the domestic Chinese market, he said.
"In the global IT market, India is leading much ahead of Chinese market players," he said.
"The Chinese companies are not a threat to the Indian firms in the global markets," Mike, one of the rare Chinese IT executives who worked with the top Indian company Infosys for years, told PTI here ahead of his book launch.
The book that provides an insight into the Indian and Chinese information technology development over the decades has been just published in the Chinese language. It will be published in English soon.
Mike was the first Chinese-born country head of Infosys and worked both in Indian and Chinese firms, besides multinational companies like HP.
According to a recent report by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China's software business revenue from January to July this year reached 5.456 trillion yuan (USD 797.26 billion), a year-on-year increase of 10.3 per cent.
IT sectors in both countries contribute about eight per cent to their GDPs, though China's IT revenues are far higher considering the size of the Chinese economy, Mike said.
While Indian IT firms ruled the global markets, the Chinese firms have established dominance in technology, he said.
He said the Chinese firms have a long way to go to make a dent in the global international markets.
"I foresee Chinese players still have a long learning curve to compete in English market. Chinese people often ask, why have Indians become so predominant in business in America? The typical view is Indians speak good English. But that is maybe one per cent of the factor," he said.
For their part, the Chinese companies need to learn many things such as mindset, management systems and governance, he said, adding that an abundant supply of human resources in IT was key for India's success.
He said the Indian IT phenomenon is not made possible through either deregulated efforts or government subsidies and policies but due to the strong conviction by the Indian tech leaders and software engineers to make a difference.
However, on the tech front of IT and innovation, China has taken the lead, he said.
"The scenario has changed today. The Chinese companies have become a global phenomenon in the B2B, and doing well not only in e-commerce but autonomous driving, AI, cloud services, where you don't see Indian players, unfortunately, having had the same impact," Mike said.
Chinese firms like Huawei, Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent made a big leap in technology development, while the Indian IT sector is broadly confined to software outsourcing, spending little on innovation and R&D, he said.
On India's constant complaint that China is not providing market access to Indian IT firms, he argued that the issue of market access should not be an excuse for Indian IT firms' inability to penetrate Chinese markets.
While keeping their focus on English language global markets, it is time for the Indian firms to shift their focus to non-English speaking markets such as China to rework their strategy to tap big future revenues, he said.
"The question for Indian IT companies now is how to break into fast-growing non-English speaking countries," he said.
"Market access alone is something of an easy excuse. If you are determined to engage in a market, then you will figure it out" he said, highlighting the success of firms like HP in which he worked earlier and made big inroads into the Chinese markets.
For years, China has been stonewalling Indian demand to provide market access to its biggest products in the IT and pharmaceutical firms which struggled to make headway in the Chinese markets despite their global success.
Mike argues that while the Indian IT firms are doing well in the multinational firms based in China, they made limited headway into the burgeoning Chinese market adopting a "cost-conscious" strategy and looking for short-term returns.
"You cannot have the same formula to work in two very different, highly complex markets and societies," he said.
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Passenger slapped during panic attack on IndiGo flight, sparks outrage on social media
Mumbai/Kolkata/Silchar: A shocking incident aboard IndiGo flight 6E138 from Mumbai to Kolkata has gone viral, sparking outrage after a video emerged showing a man being slapped mid-flight while reportedly suffering a panic attack. The victim, identified as Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar from Assam, has since gone missing, and his family is seeking urgent answers.
The video, widely circulated on social media, shows Hossain in visible distress, attempting to leave his seat and reportedly requesting to deboard. As flight attendants tried to calm him down, another passenger suddenly approached and slapped him. The incident triggered immediate protest from fellow travellers.
A young man suffers a panic attack, his co passenger slaps him. Indigo airlines says “All appropriate regulatory agencies have been duly informed, in line with protocol.”
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) August 1, 2025
This is a criminal case and the man needs to be on a No Fly List @DGCAIndia pic.twitter.com/dY1gQC6ze0
Hossain, a gym trainer based in Mumbai, was en route to his hometown Katigorah in Cachar district via a connecting flight from Kolkata to Silchar. However, he never boarded the Silchar flight, and his mobile phone remains unreachable. His family, who had gathered at the Silchar airport, are now in distress. Zubairul Islam Mazumdar, a relative, said, “We have no idea where he is. We’ve contacted the police and airport authorities but haven’t received any concrete information.” His father, Abdul Mannan Mazumdar, who is undergoing cancer treatment, said tearfully, “He was our only hope. Now we don’t even know if he’s safe.” In a statement issued on August 1, IndiGo Airlines said: “We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew. Our crew acted in accordance with established procedures. The individual identified as unruly was handed over to the security authorities upon arrival. Regulatory agencies have been informed as per protocol.”
We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew.
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 1, 2025
Our crew acted in accordance with…
However, the airline's statement has been criticised for failing to clarify what happened to Hossain after the incident, whether he received medical help, was detained, or was allowed to continue his journey.
Weak kneed response from @IndiGo6E . Has the man who got physical with a fellow passenger been put on a no-fly list? Has Indigo followed up on its complaint at point of disembarkation? If the passenger was handed over to the @CISFAirport were charges pressed? pic.twitter.com/qXMnfiBbFE
— SANJAY HEGDE (@sanjayuvacha) August 1, 2025
The video triggered widespread anger on social media, with many users interpreting the slap as a possible hate-driven act. However, aviation journalist Jagriti Chandra of The Hindu offered a clarification on X, stating: “The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight was handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident occurred after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to deboard. Both belong to the same religious community.”
The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to de board.
— Jagriti Chandra (@jagritichandra) August 1, 2025
Both belong to the same religious community.
Incident on… https://t.co/f0QPXG5hxG
Despite this clarification, concerns remain about the airline's handling of a visibly distressed passenger, particularly in the context of mental health. Unverified posts circulating on social media claim that Hossain was later found, though there has been no official confirmation from authorities or the airline.
Alhamdulillah! Hussain Ahmed Mazumder, who was assaulted on an IndiGo flight while returning from Mumbai to Silchar and went missing, has now been found safe in Kolkata.
— Munir (@tapadar_1314) August 1, 2025
He is stable and in contact with his family. pic.twitter.com/MEGSGzHTk7
