Asia | CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

11/07/2014

India to Spend $2.2 Billion on Water Supplies, Ganges – Businessweek

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new government today pledged 131 billion rupees ($2.2 billion) in spending on water projects to improve supplies and the condition of the Ganges, India’s largest river.

Ganges .. India (Photo credit: Nick Kenrick .)

Asia’s third-biggest economy will develop watersheds, build more pumping stations and start to clean the Ganga, blighted by raw sewage along much of its 2,525-kilometer (1,570-mile) route, as India endures a year of “unpredictable” monsoons, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

The government will use 36 billion rupees to improve drinking supplies for about 20,000 villages and small towns affected by arsenic and fluoride contamination, Jaitley told Parliament in the minister’s annual budget speech. About 21.42 billion rupees will be spent on watershed development and 20.37 billion rupees on Ganga upgrades. About 42 billion rupees will go to developing inland waterways in the plan.

via India to Spend $2.2 Billion on Water Supplies, Ganges – Businessweek.

Posted in Economics, Good news, India alert, Pollution, water scarcity | 1 Comment »

Tags: Arun Jaitley, Asia, finance minister, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Ganges, India, Jaitley, Narendra Modi, Rupee, rupees, the Ganges

08/07/2014

Chinese ‘customers’ at IKEA?

Do have alook at these actual photos: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chinese+asleep+IKEA,+2014&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=E-67U4HSDoHX7AadmYGQCg&ved=0CB8QsAQ&biw=1360&bih=850

Ikea Shenzhen China (Photo credit: dcmaster)

And from: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1300942/ikea-last-cracks-china-market-success-has-meant-adapting-local-ways?page=all

“On a recent Saturday afternoon, Ikea‘s flagship mainland store – one of the world’s largest – is abuzz with people. Walkways guiding visitors from one showroom to the next feel more congested than the road outside, and almost all 660 seats in the canteen are occupied. Yet the lines to the cashiers are refreshingly short – most are not here to shop.

The store is gripped by a kind of anarchy that would rarely be seen, or tolerated, in its country of origin. There are picnickers everywhere – their tea flasks and plastic bags of snacks lining the showroom tables. Young lovers pose for “selfies” in mock-up apartments they do not live in. Toddlers in split pants play on model furniture with their naked parts coming in contact with all surfaces.

On a king-size bed in the middle of the largest showroom, a little boy wakes from a nap next to his (also sleeping) grandmother. When the old woman casually helps the boy urinate into an empty water bottle, dripping liquid liberally on the grey mattress under his feet, most passers-by seem not to mind or even notice. The exception is a young woman who elbows her disinterested boyfriend: “Look, he’s peeing into a bottle!”

Most endemic, however, is the sleeping. After a few, rare clear days, the city’s notorious heavy smog has returned, and is made worse by a sticky, dusty heat wave striking northern China. Weeks earlier, a photo of people napping in a Shanghai shopping centre to escape the searing heat went viral, but in the capital, it is Ikea’s cool, conditioned air that is salvation for tens of thousands of its inhabitants.

The bedroom and living room sections on the store’s third floor are the most popular. Virtually every surface is occupied by visitors appearing very much at home. Older people read newspapers or drink tea; younger visitors cuddle or play with their phones. Most, however, are sound asleep.”

Posted in China alert, Consumer, Economics, Retail | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Beijing, China, Ikea, Plastic bag, Shanghai, Showroom, Water bottle

03/07/2014

Keys to Successful Reform in India – India Real Time – WSJ

India’s new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, won a decisive mandate from an electorate yearning for effective leadership. His government’s first budget due out next week will be an important indicator of how forcefully Mr. Modi intends to translate this mandate into actions to put India’s economy back on track.

Of course, despite his clear mandate, Mr. Modi will not have a free hand to impose reforms by decree. He is constrained by a democratic system of government and accountability to the electorate. Hence, both the strategy and the specifics of reform will be crucial to making the program a success.

A key priority is to signal greater fiscal discipline. High levels of public deficits and debt, exacerbated by wasteful subsidies and an inefficient tax system, have created many market distortions and contributed to high inflation. Populist sops have also reduced resources available for expenditure on infrastructure, education and other areas that could boost long-term productivity.

The government needs to commit to long-term fiscal discipline. It should move aggressively to reduce fuel subsidies, implement a goods and services tax, and step up the pace of privatization of state enterprises. These measures would not only improve the fiscal position of the government but also enhance overall economic efficiency by shifting the focus away from purely redistributive policies.

It will also be helpful to signal that the government will not look for easy targets, such as foreign firms, to raise revenues by changing the rules whenever convenient. Policy certainty is as important for domestic investors as it is for foreign ones.

via Keys to Successful Reform in India – India Real Time – WSJ.

Posted in Economics, India alert | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Bharatiya Janata Party, Economic Growth Modi, Economy of India, Government, Gujarat, India, Modi, Narendra Modi

13/06/2014

Can Asia’s Biggest Low-Fare Airline, AirAsia, Make Money in India? – Businessweek

After successfully building the largest low-cost airline in Southeast Asia, AirAsia’s (AIRA:MK) chief executive, Tony Fernandes, is taking on one of his biggest challenges yet: Making money in a country with some of the highest operating costs in Asia. Today, AirAsia India, a joint venture with Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace, began flying in India, where a crowded market and high costs have pushed several major carriers into the red. Because of high jet fuel taxes and airport charges, operating an airline in India can cost as much as 60 percent more than in nearby countries, KPMG India partner Amber Dubey said on Bloomberg Television today.

An AirAsia India Airbus A320 takes off as it embarks on the carrier's inaugural domestic flight to Goa from the Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bangalore on June 12

But with new Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspiring confidence that things will finally change for the better in India, Fernandes “is very optimistic,” he told Bloomberg Television today. “State governments are very aviation friendly at the moment; there is a strong national government that has put tourism at the top of its agenda,” he said. “It’s all about the timing.” AirAsia is starting small in India, with only two planes, although Fernandes says the plan is scale up to six. At that level, “we are very confident of breaking even,” he said.

That won’t be easy. While India has several weak incumbents, such as Jet Airways (JETIN:IN) and SpiceJet (SJET:IN), the country is also home to IndiGo, the biggest domestic carrier by market share. IndiGo has plans to more than double its fleet to 150 planes by 2023, its president, Aditya Ghosh, told Bloomberg News in September. It has greeted AirAsia’s arrival by introducing group discounts of up to 25 percent and offering flights between Bangalore and Goa for one single rupee. With a fare war already under way, “no way can anyone make profits,” KPMG’s Dubey told Bloomberg Television today.

via Can Asia’s Biggest Low-Fare Airline, AirAsia, Make Money in India? – Businessweek.

Posted in aviation, Economics, India alert, Tourism, Transport | Leave a Comment »

Tags: AirAsia, AirAsia India, Asia, Goa, India, Narendra Modi, SpiceJet, Tony Fernandes

13/06/2014

Japan denies brush with Chinese planes, demands China withdraws footage | Reuters

I sincerely hope China and Japan are NOT sleep walking into a major war.

“Japan on Friday denied Beijing’s claims that its Self-Defence Force planes came “dangerously close” to Chinese aircraft in an incident over the East China Sea on Wednesday, demanding China takes down the footage allegedly showing the incident.

A Chinese SU-27 fighter flies over the East China Sea, in this handout photo taken May 24, 2014 and released by the Defense Ministry of Japan May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Defense Ministry of Japan/Handout via Reuters

The tit-for-tat accusations and denials are part of a long-running territorial dispute between Asia’s largest economies. They follow a similar incident on May 24, when Japan said Chinese aircraft came within a few dozen metres of its warplanes. China, where bitter memories of Japan’s wartime militarism run deep, lays claim to Japanese-administered islets in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. China declared its air defence zone covering most of the East China Sea last year despite protests by Japan and the United States.

On Thursday, China said two Japanese F-15 planes followed a Chinese Tu-154 aircraft and came as close as 30 metres, “seriously affecting China’s flight safety”. It posted a video allegedly showing that incident on the defence ministry website.

“We believe there is no truth in China’s assertions that Japanese fighter planes came within 30 meters of a Chinese plane and severely affected the flight’s safety,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

“The planes (in the video) are different,” he said in response to a reporter’s question about the rationale behind Japan’s assertion, adding Japan lodged a protest late on Thursday and demanded that Beijing take down the footage.

China responded by calling on Tokyo to “immediately stop all its provocative words and acts”.”

via Japan denies brush with Chinese planes, demands China withdraws footage | Reuters.

Posted in China alert, Defence, Diplomacy, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, History, Military, Neighbour conflict, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Beijing, China, East China Sea, Japan, List of Chinese aircraft, Tokyo, Yoshihide Suga

13/06/2014

Does China Care About its International Image? | The Diplomat

China’s global image faces challenges — but if asked to choose between its national interests and preserving its national image, China would choose the former

A recent poll conducted by the BBC World Service shows that China’s international image is not that great around the world. Although this year China’s international image is equally divided (42 percent vs. 42 percent) between those who think China’s influence is positive and those who think it is negative, China’s image in Japan and South Korea (two of China’s most important Asian neighbors) is quite negative. In South Korea, only 32 percent of South Koreans have positive perceptions of China whereas 56 percent of them hold a negative perception of China. In Japan the picture is ugly as only 3 percent (a record low) of Japanese hold positive views of China whereas 73 percent view China as a negative influence in Asia.

However, China’s image in Africa and Latin America is quite positive. All three African countries surveyed have very high levels of positive views of China, with 85 percent in Nigeria, 67 percent in Ghana, and 65 percent in Kenya. Of all four Latin American countries surveyed, only Mexico has more negative views than positive views of China (40 percent vs 33 percent); the other three countries are mostly positive about China (Peru 54 percent vs. 24 percent; Brazil 52 percent vs. 29 percent; Argentina 45 percent vs. 20 percent). Another interesting finding about China’s international image is that most advanced countries hold negative views of China, with the U.K. (49 percent vs. 46 percent) and Australia (47 percent vs. 44 percent) being exceptions. Especially puzzling is Germany, which only has a 10 percent positive view of China against 76 percent negative views of China. This might not be surprising as most advanced countries happen to be democracies and they are often quite critical of China’s lack of democracy and human rights problems.

A natural question that one might ask is “does China care about its international image?” Due to China’s recent assertive actions (here and here) in East China Sea and South China Sea, it might seem like China is not worried about its image among its Asian neighbors. But it is inconsistent with China’s efforts in recent years to enhance its soft power and build a positive national image around the world. Thus, the puzzle is this: if China does care about its international image, why would China behave in a way that hurts its own national image? This is a legitimate question given some evidence showing that many in Asia now see China as a big bully.

There are three possible explanations for the seeming inconsistency between China’s national image campaigns and its recent assertive behavior. First, it could be that China does not genuinely embrace the idea of national image or soft power. According to realist logic which is dominant in China, what really matters in international politics is material power; also, soft power often is a byproduct of material power. Thus, the Chinese leadership might have accepted the idea “it is better to be feared than loved” in international politics. If indeed this is the reasoning behind China’s foreign policy in recent years, then it is not surprising at all that China feels little need to promote its national image.

The second reason could be that China does care about its national image but the problem is that China is inexperienced or even clumsy in promoting its national image. Indeed, in recent years China has put in lots of resources into its ‘public diplomacy’ which has generated mixed results. Just think about how much money Beijing spent on the Beijing Olympics 2008 to promote China’s positive image. It is abundantly clear that Beijing does want to present a positive and peaceful national image to the international community. Nonetheless, it could well be that officials in China who are in charge of promoting national image are incompetent or there is no coordination between different ministries and actors such as the Foreign Affairs ministry and the military. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finally released a position paper on the 981 oil rig crisis after a month had passed. Although this is helpful, one wonders why China could not have done it earlier. Now the damage is already done. Also, China has maintained that Vietnamese vessels have rammed Chinese vessels more than 1,400 times, but it would be much more convincing if China could release videos showing how the Vietnamese vessels rammed Chinese ships. There are many other examples like this one, suggesting that China’s public diplomacy needs to be more skillful and sophisticated if it is going to win international public opinion.

Finally, China’s neglect of its national image could be explained by a rational choice strategy that puts national interests in front of national image. Thus, China does care about its national image, but it cares more about national sovereignty and territorial integrity. When forced to choose between sovereignty and national image, China will choose sovereignty — and any other country would do the same. As Xi Jinping said earlier this year, China will never sacrifice its core national interests, regardless of the circumstances. Viewed from this perspective, national image becomes secondary compared to territorial integrity.

via Does China Care About its International Image? | The Diplomat.

Posted in China alert, Diplomacy, GeoPolitics, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Beijing, China, East China Sea, international image, Japan, Latin America, national image, national interests, Paracel Islands, South China Sea, South Korea, Xi JinPing

12/06/2014

China Minting Millionaires in Global Wealth Surge – Businessweek

Where do the world’s rich live? As has long been true, the U.S. has more millionaires (in U.S. dollars) than any other country, with 7.1 million. But China last year came in second with 2.4 million millionaire households, beating Japan with half as many. The number of millionaire families around the world reached 16.3 million last year, up from 13.7 million the year before.

Visitors crowd around a luxury yacht on display during the 19th China International Boat Show in Shanghai on April 10

All told, the total value of global private wealth grew far faster than global economic output, up 14.6 percent, to $152 trillion, compared with an 8.6 percent increase in 2012. Much of the new money originated in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan), up by 30.5 percent, to $37 trillion. That put Asia in the No. 3 spot for riches, behind North America and Europe, according to the 14th annual survey on private wealth by Boston Consulting Group.

Driven by rapid GDP growth in China and India, Asia is expected to surpass North America and Europe as the leading source of global wealth in 2018. That year, the global pot of gold will total a bit less than $200 trillion, with the proportion from Asia projected to reach $61 trillion, slightly more than North America, with $59.1 trillion. “The Asia-Pacific region and its new wealth will account for about half of the total growth,” the report predicts.

via China Minting Millionaires in Global Wealth Surge – Businessweek.

Posted in Affluence, China alert, Economics, wealth | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Asia-Pacific, boston consulting group, China, Economic growth, global wealth, India, Japan, millionaire, millionaire households, North America, United States

10/06/2014

Indian PM Modi meets with Chinese FM – Xinhua | English.news.cn

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday met here with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

INDIA-NEW DELHI-PM-CHINA-WANG YI-MEETING

During the meeting, Wang conveyed greetings and messages from President Xi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Prime Minister Modi.

The Chinese president said in his message that he believes India will obtain greater development and progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.

The Chinese president said that as two important forces in the process of multi-polarization of the world, China and India share far more common interests than differences and that the two countries are long-term strategic cooperative partners rather than adversaries.

The Chinese president pointed out that the dreams of both China and India to build a strong nation and to upgrade the living standards of their people have a lot of commonalities and the two countries should make an in-depth convergence of their development strategy, support each other with their respective strengths, build a close development partnership, and hold hands to realize peaceful development, cooperative development, and inclusive development, in order to benefit their people and enhance peace, stability and prosperity of Asia and the whole world.

Prime Minister Modi said that the important message from President Xi Jinping has given a clear guidance for developing bilateral relations.

Modi said he highly appreciates the achievements in the field of development made by China and personally cherishes a friendly feeling toward China.

Modi said India’s new government is willing to join China to give a clear signal to the world that the two countries are dedicated to common development.

He suggested that the two countries maintain exchange of high- level visits, consolidate strategic trust, and use each other’s strengths to deepen cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, manufacturing, and IT industry.

Modi also said that India and China should develop their resources of two ancient civilizations to enhance cooperation and increase exchanges in humanity.

On the boundary issue, he said the two countries should commonly maintain peace and tranquility on the border areas in order to provide guarantees to the development of bilateral relations.

Foreign Minister Wang said that China and India are now standing at a new historical starting point of developing their relations and in the meantime are faced with important opportunities of their own development.

He said that China is ready to realize convergence with India in the fields of development theories and ideas, exchange and learn from each other in practice and theories of governance.

Wang said China is also willing to realize convergence of development strategies with India and let the “Look East” policy of India meet and confluence with China’s acceleration of opening its western regions.

The two countries should also use their respective strong points to support and supplement each other in their respective development, he said.

Wang said as the two ancient civilizations, China and India should join each other to make new contributions to human civilization and progress. He also suggested that the two countries properly control and manage their boundary problem to seek a mutually acceptable, fair and reasonable solution to the boundary issue.

via Indian PM Modi meets with Chinese FM – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

‘Let’s match China’s scale, speed’

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Diplomacy, Economics, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, Good news, History, India alert, Neighbour conflict, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, China, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Modi, Narendra Modi, Premier of the People's Republic of China, Prime Minister Modi, Wang, Xi JinPing

10/06/2014

India’s Modi calls for greater cooperation with China | Reuters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged greater cooperation with China on Monday and said he planned to visit Beijing soon, underlining his administration’s promise to make a new beginning with the country’s giant neighbor.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes out of a meeting room to receive his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay before the start of their bilateral meeting in New Delhi May 27, 2014. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

India and China have rapidly expanded commercial relations in recent years but political ties remain difficult, after a dispute over their Himalayan border that led to a war in 1962.

But Modi, who took power last month, is seeking to engage with India’s neighbors, including China. A peaceful and stable neighborhood would help him pursue his economic goals at home.

On Monday, he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yin, who was visiting India as a special envoy of China’s president to build ties with the new administration in New Delhi.

On Sunday, Wang had a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Sushi Sward, that lasted more than three hours. It was the first high-level engagement between the two countries since Modi assumed office.

“The two sides will remain in touch through the diplomatic channel to make necessary arrangements for these visits and for other meetings and exchanges of leaders on the sidelines of multilateral summits,” the Indian foreign office said in a statement after Wang’s meeting with Modi.

It gave no other details. Modi has already invited Chinese President Xi Jin ping to visit New Delhi later this year.

India was once viewed as a rival to China’s economic juggernaut. Both the economies have slowed in the past two years, but India’s slowdown has been dramatic.

Asia’s third-largest economy grew 4.7 percent in the fiscal year that ended in March. That was the second straight year of sub-5 percent growth, the longest slowdown in more than a quarter of a century.

Modi, who last month won the strongest parliamentary majority in the past 30 years on a promise of economic revival and jobs, wants to push infrastructure and skill development – a model followed by China to boost economic growth – to promote a turnaround.

“Scale, skill and speed. If these three strengths we can stress upon, then we can rise to the challenge of competing with China,” he said at a book launch event on Sunday.

via India’s Modi calls for greater cooperation with China | Reuters.

Border resolution must be fair: Wang

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Diplomacy, Economics, Foreign invasion, GeoPolitics, Good news, History, India alert, Neighbour conflict, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Beijing, China, Himalayas, India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Modi, Narendra Modi, New Delhi

22/05/2014

Modi’s Challenges on the World Stage – India Real Time – WSJ

India is back. Last week’s election tally shows that an allegedly divisive leader has united the country as no politician has in decades. India is now in the hands of a prime minister who has managed the economy of its most industrialized and globalized state—one that has grown faster than China for two decades—and the consequences will extend far beyond India. The U.S., China and Japan all have high stakes in an Indian resurgence that could tilt Asia’s power balance in a democratic direction.

As the first Indian prime minister born after independence, Narendra Modi could now declare Indian independence from the old shibboleths of state socialism and non-alignment that have kept the country poor and geopolitically marginalized. To fulfill his people’s aspirations—tackle chronic underdevelopment at home, close the gap with Chinese power abroad—Mr. Modi will need all the western and Japanese capital, technology and military support he can get.

The last prime minister from Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, Atal Bihari Vajpayee (in office 1998-2004), declared India and America “natural allies” after decades of alienation. He also conducted nuclear tests to deter Chinese adventurism, visited Lahore to sketch out a vision for peace with Pakistan and opened the door to U.S.-India defense cooperation. Yet Indo-U.S. ties weakened in recent years, part of what Mr. Modi calls the general “stagnancy” afflicting his country.

The best way to restore Indo-U.S. momentum is to get India growing again. “A strong economy is the driver of an effective foreign policy,” Mr. Modi has said. “We have to put our own house in order so that the world is attracted to us.”

via Modi’s Challenges on the World Stage – India Real Time – WSJ.

Posted in foreign policy, India alert, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bharatiya Janata Party, China, India, Indian Foreign Policy Meet Modi, Japan, Narendra Modi, Pakistan, Prime Minister Modi

CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon

Chindia Alert: You’ll be Living in their World Very Soon

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India to Spend $2.2 Billion on Water Supplies, Ganges – Businessweek

Chinese ‘customers’ at IKEA?

Keys to Successful Reform in India – India Real Time – WSJ

Can Asia’s Biggest Low-Fare Airline, AirAsia, Make Money in India? – Businessweek

Does China Care About its International Image? | The Diplomat

China Minting Millionaires in Global Wealth Surge – Businessweek

Indian PM Modi meets with Chinese FM – Xinhua | English.news.cn

India’s Modi calls for greater cooperation with China | Reuters

Modi’s Challenges on the World Stage – India Real Time – WSJ

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