When Chinese company Haihui got its highest software quality distinction, SEI CMM level 5, it had Noida-based Keane India to thank for all the consultancy in process improvement. Indian tech training majors are dominating the Chinese market, occupying two of the top three slots in Chinese IT training market.

While Aptech enjoys about 15% marketshare, NIIT is close behind, with about 8% marketshare, according to a recent study by ministry of information industry, PRC. "Aptech enrolled over 52,000 students and earned revenue of over $40m in China," says Pramod Khera, CEO and managing director, Aptech.

Emphasising that it was the first IT company to set up operations in China in 1998, NIIT was also awarded the best training organisation last year by a publication of the China government's Centre for Information Industry Development.

"Our China experience has shown us that the country truly admires India's skill sets in the IT software and services sector and holds in high esteem our leading ICT players," said Rajendra Pawar, chairman, NIIT.

Though IT exports has now attracted the attention of Chinese government now, the real competition between Chinese and Indian software firms is far off. China definitely does not have big names like Infosys and Wipro to boast of.

China's total software services exports can be compared to the revenues of our large IT companies. In fact, very few Chinese firms employ more than 2,000 software developers on outsourcing projects. But no one can write off China, thanks to its domestic market and focus on English and IT currently.

"There's no reason for us to be complacent, our whole industry is only a fourth of the size of IBM," sums up Sunil Mehta.