Ratan N Tata, Chairman, Tata Group of Companies, on Tuesday held meetings with top Chinese business leaders to assess prospects in the world's most potential market and also discussed the communist giant's impressive economic progress.

Tata, who arrived on Tuesday, also visited Shanghai, the country's gleaming commercial hub, where he held meetings with leading officials of municipal government and business leaders, company sources said.

He is expected to visit the state-of-the-art software development centre of Tata Consultancy Services located in Hangzhou city in east China.

During his stay in Beijing, Tata is scheduled to call on Chinese ministers and leading officials, the sources said.

He would also take part in the celebrations to mark the first year of operations by TCS, which established operations in China in June, 2002 as part of the company's strategic plans to bolster its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Currently, TCS has offices in Shanghai and Beijing as well as a software development centre in Hangzhou. TCS employs nearly 100 IT professionals, 80 per cent of whom are Chinese locals.

Sources said Tata group is also eying China as a potential market for a range of automobiles, including cars.

The group is also considering venturing into the hospitality sector as well as in selling instant tea.