Chandigarh, March 14 -- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday promised all necessary support and facility to the industry in Punjab to compete with China in the manufacturing sector. Kejriwal gave the "guarantee" during the inaugural session of the Progressive Punjab Investors' Summit-2026 in Mohali in the presence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, industries minister Sanjeev Arora and business leaders. He urged industrialists to inform the state government about the kind of support they needed to compete with Chinese manufacturers. "We will provide whatever you need. This is my guarantee. You know that I fulfil my guarantees," he said, while expressing annoyance over large-scale imports of everyday items such as plastic buckets, stationery, LED bulbs, toys, mobile phone chargers and alarm clocks. He alleged that in the 75 years of the country's Independence, no government trusted the talent of its own people, adding that the flawed systems did not allow anyone to do anything. "My blood boils when I see that even after 75 years of independence, we import all this stuff from China. Why can't we make these things here?" he said. This is not the first time Kejriwal has targeted imports from the neighbouring country. In 2022, he called for a ban on trade with China following the skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawag sector and appealed to people to stop buying Chinese goods. Asserting that a business-friendly environment in Punjab helped attract Rs.1.50 lakh crore in investments in the past four years, he highlighted that the 45-day single-window clearance system and a business-friendly ecosystem, focused on human capital and industrial growth, made this possible. "When we took charge of the government in 2022, there was a very gloomy atmosphere and industries were leaving Punjab for Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh," he claimed, highlighting the efforts and inspiration that helped achieve the turnaround. Addressing the inaugural events, chief minister Bhagwant Mann urged captains of industry to invest in the state, saying Punjab meant business. "Punjab is perhaps the only place in the world whose people have a presence across the globe because Punjabis excel wherever they go, and possess an indomitable spirit to work hard and succeed," he said, pitching the state as an ideal investment destination due to its robust policies, improved connectivity and the availability of skilled manpower in abundance. The CM said the state government was aligning skill education and training with the needs of industry for a strong pool of skilled manpower. He added that the youth of Punjab were excelling in competitive examinations such as UPSC, JEE, NEET and IIT entrance tests. He said the state currently had operational airports in Mohali, Halwara, Amritsar, Bathinda, Pathankot and Adampur, while road infrastructure was also developing rapidly. Citing examples of success stories from Punjab, he named Sonalika, Preet Tractors, Duke, Monte Carlo and many others as shining examples of local entrepreneurship. "The doors of Punjab are open to all investors and we welcome them with a red carpet. Our policies are flexible and designed to meet the needs of industry," he added. He said this summit was not merely about signing MoUs but about sharing knowledge, brainstorming and learning from each other. He also thanked all business leaders for becoming part of Punjab's growth story....