The visiting French President Jacques Chirac said that an audacious plan is in motion to double Indo-French trade in 5 years. Addressing corporate leaders of the two countries at the Indo-French Economic Partnership Meet, he said, "With a growth of 7-8 per cent, market of hundreds of millions of consumers, and purchasing power multiplied by five in 25 years, India constitutes one of the world's main engines of growth." He said he wanted to raise the "economic relations to the same level as our excellent political relations."