China big threat to India in IT: Premji

China would emerge as the biggest threat to India in the coming years in the field of IT outsourcing, according to Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro.

Speaking at an interactive session organised by the eastern regional council of FICCI today, Premji said that although English language was a major constraint for the Chinese at the moment, this handicap was likely to be overcome in the next 5-10 years.

"The Chinese are very hard working, competitive and dedicated. As a result, they were able to overcome any odds by dint of labour," he added.

He said China had chalked out a massive programme on primary education with focus on training in English.

Premji warned that India should not remain complacent and IT companies and the government should invest in quality processing and other related areas to stay ahead in global competition.