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19/11/2014

Narendra Modi Is in Fiji. This Shows Why – India Real Time – WSJ

Pristine beaches, blue skies, it’s not hard to imagine why Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would want to stop by the island nation of Fiji after a hectic few days at the G-20 summit in Australia.

But there’s another reason Mr. Modi has made the newly-minted South Pacific democracy his final port of call during a three-nation tour that concludes Thursday: China.

In 2012, there was an influx of Chinese investors and companies expressing and registering their interest in setting up businesses in Fiji, according to Investment Fiji’s annual report for the year.

Chinese investors accounted for 20% of the projects registered by foreign companies in Fiji in 2012, while Indian investment accounted for 10%, the report said.

China has tried to raise its profile across the South Pacific over the past decade. The 12 South Pacific island nations that make up the region are much less populous than other parts of Asia, but have vast fishing grounds and potentially large deep-sea mineral deposits.

Chinese companies have bought stakes in Fiji’s largest gold mine and invested in its bauxite industry. Foreign direct investment by Chinese companies in Fiji accounted for around 37% of the value of projects registered this year, compared with just 2.9% in 2009.

Trade figures from Fiji’s Bureau of Statistics show that India lags far behind. In 2013, China exported $27.29 million in goods to Fiji, compared to $4.76 million imported to the island from India.

via Narendra Modi Is in Fiji. This Map Shows Why – India Real Time – WSJ.

Posted in Diplomacy, Economics, FDI, India alert, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia-Pacific, Australia, Canberra, China, Fiji, India, Modi, Narendra Modi, Parliament of Australia, President of the People's Republic of China, prime minister of india, Tony Abbott

19/11/2014

‘Exceptionally Low’ Female Labor Participation Holding Back India’s Economy – India Real Time – WSJ

Women’s empowerment hasn’t featured prominently so far in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s program for economic revival. It probably should, according to the latest overview of the Indian economy by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The report, released Wednesday by the Paris-based club of rich nations, suggests that enlarging economic opportunities for women could be a new “growth engine” for India, accelerating GDP growth by around two percentage points each year. India has narrowed the gender gap in health and education, the report says. But Indian women still lag far behind men when it comes to participation in both the formal and informal economies.

Just a third of working-age women in India were employed or looking for a job in 2010, a lower share by some distance than in Brazil (around 65%), China (75%), Indonesia (55%) or South Africa (45%). The figure for Indian men was over 80%.

More strikingly, female labor participation in India has actually fallen over the last decade: According to Indian-government data, the working-age populations of both men and women increased by around 100 million between 2000 and 2012. But the number of women employed or seeking employment only grew by 7 million over that period, whereas the number of men in those categories expanded by 70 million. Just a quarter of the increase in the number of women outside the labor force was accounted for by more women staying in school.

Indian women who do work don’t have great jobs, the OECD report shows. More than a third are unpaid helpers, as opposed to just 11% of working men. Women are also overrepresented in low-productivity agriculture and traditional, small-scale manufacturing. Only 6% of employed women get formal benefits like pensions or maternity leave. There aren’t many female entrepreneurs. (The report notes, though, that there aren’t many entrepreneurs in India, period, relative to other countries at the same stage of development.)

Illiterate women are more likely to be in the labor force than better-educated women, though participation is higher among high-school graduates. The relationship between female participation and income is similar: The richer a woman’s household is, the less likely she is to work.

Those patterns suggest “exceptionally low” female labor participation isn’t fully explained by simple measures of worker productivity.

On a 2012 OECD index of social obstacles to gender equality, India scores poorly relative to other large developing countries. Families’ preference for sons is stronger. Violence against women is more common. Women’s access to credit, land and property is more restricted. Marriage and inheritance laws favor men more.

Other social norms matter, too. As men’s incomes have risen over the last decade, their wives may prefer housework to a low-paying job, the report suggests. One study cited by the report finds that a family’s social status is considered higher if the woman stays at home.

via ‘Exceptionally Low’ Female Labor Participation Holding Back India’s Economy – India Real Time – WSJ.

Posted in Economics, Gender issues, India alert, Social & cultural | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, Economic growth, Economic indicator, Euro Zone, Gross domestic product, Gross world product, India, Indian women, Narendra Modi, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United States

19/11/2014

Xi Jinping Visits Tasmania, Is Given (Authentic) Lavender-Filled Teddy Bear – China Real Time Report – WSJ

What does one give to China’s visiting head of state as a keepsake to mark the occasion? Angela Merkel went with an old map that had a less-than-politically correct interpretation of China’s borders. Vladimir Putin presented an example of Russia’s cutting-edge consumer technology. Nahendra Modi handed over a bound copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text, in Chinese.

Alighting from his flight to Hobart, the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania, schoolchildren presented President Xi Jinping with a lavender stuffed teddy bear (at 48 seconds). Mr. Xi didn’t appear surprised or puzzled by why he was bring presented with potpourri. Then again, Bobbie Bear is a minor celebrity in China, and has done more than anyone to put Tasmania on the map for Chinese tourists.

Mr. Xi didn’t get to visit Bridestowe Lavender Estate which produces the bears – and where he would have been limited to buying one bear only, a measure taken by the farm’s management late last year to ensure sufficient supply to satisfy the busloads of Chinese tourists. Factories in China have produced knock-offs in numbers that far exceed the farm’s own production capacity, says owner Robert Ravens, which means a visit to Tasmania is the only way to be sure the bear you buy is real.

For Tasmania, Bridestowe holds potential of what China – hungry for clean and healthy produce, and with tourists increasingly willing to travel off the beaten track – can do for a struggling economy.

On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced at a dinner for the Chinese first couple at Parliament House that Bridestowe Lavender Estate had won the inaugural Australia-China Achievement Award for entrepreneurship. The award went to the farm for its “pro-active and innovative market entry into China and promoting Tasmania as a destination for Chinese tourists.”

Mr. Xi and his wife’s taking custody of Bobbie rounds out a busy schedule of cuddling as many Australian marsupials as possible. And while Bobbie might not have the same novelty value as Australia’s menu of unique fauna, it’s likely the only one the first couple will be taking home with them.

via Xi Jinping Visits Tasmania, Is Given (Authentic) Lavender-Filled Teddy Bear – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

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

Tags: Angela Merkel, Bear, China, Factories in China, Fan Bingbing, Hobart, Launceston, Peng Liyuan, President of the People's Republic of China, Tasmania, Vladimir Putin, Xi JinPing

13/11/2014

China, U.S. agree limits on emissions, but experts see little new | Reuters

China and the United States agreed on Wednesday to new limits on carbon emissions starting in 2025, but the pledge by the world’s two biggest polluters appears to be more politically significant than substantive.

U.S. (L) and Chinese national flags flutter on a light post at the Tiananmen Square ahead of a welcoming ceremony for U.S. President Barack Obama, in Beijing, November 12, 2014. REUTERS/Petar Kujundzic

As China’s President Xi Jinping agreed to a date for peak CO2 emissions for the first time and also promised to raise the share of zero-carbon energy to 20 percent of the country’s total, President Barack Obama said the United States would cut its own emissions by more than a quarter by 2025.

via China, U.S. agree limits on emissions, but experts see little new | Reuters.

Posted in carbon emission, China alert, Economics, Environment, Pollution | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Barack Obama, Beijing, carbon emissions, China, China and the United States, co2 emissions, Greenhouse gas, Sino-American relations, the United States, United States, Xi JinPing

13/11/2014

China offers ASEAN friendship treaty as South China Sea tension bubbles | Reuters

China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang proposed a “friendship” treaty with Southeast Asian countries on Thursday but reiterated that territorial disputes in the South China Sea should be settled directly between the countries involved.

China, Taiwan and four Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have competing claims in the sea where concern is growing of an escalation in disputes even as the claimants work to establish agreements to resolve them.

“China … stands ready to become the first dialogue partner to sign with ASEAN a treaty of friendship and cooperation,” Li told leaders at a summit of East Asian countries in Myanmar.

The treaty is seen as an attempt by Beijing to dispel any notion it is a threat.

Li added China was willing to sign legal documents with more countries in the region on good-neighborliness and friendship.

Still, the Chinese premier reiterated Beijing’s resolve to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and its position that disputes concerning the South China Sea should be settled directly rather than collectively or through arbitration.

The competing maritime claims have formed an undercurrent of tension at the East Asian and ASEAN summits in Myanmar this week.

The Philippines, one of the ASEAN claimants, has previously irked Beijing by seeking international arbitration over China’s claims to about 90 percent of the South China Sea.

Diplomatic sources from the Philippines reacted coolly to China’s treaty proposal, saying that it lacked substance and was similar to a 2012 proposal made by Manila and ignored by Beijing.

Li will meet the heads of ASEAN countries behind closed doors later on Thursday, with Southeast Asian leaders hoping to persuade their giant neighbor to take a less bellicose approach to overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Vietnam have sought closer U.S. ties to counter what they see as China’s aggression in the region.

via China offers ASEAN friendship treaty as South China Sea tension bubbles | Reuters.

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

Tags: ASEAN, asean countries, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Barack Obama, Beijing, China, East Asia Summit, Le Luong Minh, Li Keqiang, Philippines, Prime Minister of Vietnam, South China Sea, Territorial disputes in the South China Sea

11/11/2014

COMAC signs deal for 30 C919 jets with China Merchants Bank: source | Reuters

Chinese state-owned plane maker Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) has signed an initial agreement to sell 30 of its C919 single-aisle commercial jets to the financial leasing arm of China Merchants Bank (600036.SS), a person with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters on Tuesday.

The nose of China's home-grown airliner C919 is unveiled in Chengdu, Sichuan province, July 31, 2014. REUTERS/China Daily

The order, sealed at China’s premier air industry trade show in Zhuhai, lifts COMAC’s order book for the C919 to 430, mostly from domestic companies. Still in development, the C919 will be the first Chinese-built jet of its type, targeted at eventually competing with Boeing Co (BA.N) and Airbus Group NV (AIR.PA).

Financial terms of the order weren’t disclosed.

via COMAC signs deal for 30 C919 jets with China Merchants Bank: source | Reuters.

Posted in Aerospace, aviation, China alert, Economics, Technology | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Airbus, Aircraft, Boeing, China, China Merchants Bank, Comac, COMAC C919, Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, commercial jets, initial agreement, Kenneth Maxwell, Zhuhai

11/11/2014

Airbus aims to double China component sourcing value to $1 billion by 2020 | Reuters

European jet maker Airbus Group NV (AIR.PA) aims to double the annual value of aircraft components it sources from China to $1 billion by 2020, the firm’s China Chief Operating Officer, Rafael Gonzalez-Ripoll-Garzon, said on Tuesday.

A flight test engineer holds an Airbus Group flag after the first flight of the Airbus A320neo (New Engine Option) in Colomiers near Toulouse, southwestern France, September 25, 2014. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

The Airbus executive’s comment, made on the sidelines of China’s premier airshow in Zhuhai, came as the European firm’s chief rival Boeing (BA.N) said it’s also seeking to ramp up China component sourcing.

Kent Fisher, Boeing Commercial Airplane’s vice-president and general manager of supplier management, said that over the next few years his company is looking to double the $2 billion worth of aircraft parts it has sourced from China in total over the last 30 years. Fisher was speaking at a separate press briefing at the air show and didn’t provide further details.

Boeing also said it had signed a deal with Aviation Industry Corporation of China to produce composite tail parts for the Boeing 777 program, beginning in 2017.

Airbus and Boeing have been competing fiercely in China, which will need over 6,020 new planes worth $870 million the next 20 years, according to Boeing’s latest forecast.

Both have been increasing their sourcing in China, using locally made composite materials and parts like emergency doors in aircraft like the Airbus A330 and Boeing B787 jets.

via Airbus aims to double China component sourcing value to $1 billion by 2020 | Reuters.

Posted in Aerospace, China alert, Economics, Manufacturing, Technology | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Airbus, Airbus A320 family, Assembly line, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, China, China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, Free trade zone, List of cities in the People's Republic of China, Tianjin, Unmanned aerial vehicle

11/11/2014

China unveils sophisticated stealth fighter aircraft | Reuters

China unveiled a sophisticated new stealth fighter jet at an air show on Tuesday, a show of muscle during a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama for an Asia-Pacific summit.

A J-31 stealth fighter of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force is seen during a test flight ahead of the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, November 10, 2014. REUTERS/Alex Lee

China hopes the much-anticipated J-31 stealth aircraft, developed by the Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic), the country’s top aircraft maker, will compete with U.S.-made hardware in export markets.

The twin-engine fighter jet was unveiled at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in the southern city of Zhuhai, an annual event at which China shows off its military technology, a Reuters witness said.

The J-31 conducted a demonstration but was not put on display afterwards although a mock-up version was on show.

via China unveils sophisticated stealth fighter aircraft | Reuters.

Posted in Aerospace, China alert, Economics, Manufacturing, Military, Politics, Technology | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Aviation Industry Corp of China, China, Fighter aircraft, fighter jet, President Barack Obama, stealth aircraft, stealth fighter jet

10/11/2014

Xi Jinping’s Ice-Cold Handshake With Japan’s Shinzo Abe – China Real Time Report – WSJ

Well, it’s a start.

After years of tensions over disputed territory, disputed history and visits to a certain shrine, China and Japan drew closer to establishing a more functional diplomatic relationship with a handshake on Monday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing.

As the video above suggests, the encounter was a tad on the chilly side, with Mr. Xi apparently refusing to return his counterpart’s greeting and looking throughout the photo op as if he’d rather be shaking hands with one of the goats that are said to be stripping the aforementioned disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands of their scant vegetation.

As WSJ’s Yuka Hayashi reports, however, a subsequent sit-down between the two leaders appears to have been somewhat more productive:

Speaking to reporters shortly after the meeting, Mr. Abe said, “I believe Japan and China took the first step toward improving our relationship as we go back to the principle of mutually beneficial strategic relations.”

The meeting, in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, lasted just short of 30 minutes. It followed weeks of intense, behind-the-scenes negotiations, as officials from Asia’s two biggest economies sought to arrange for Messrs. Abe and Xi to get together on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

…“I am aware that our neighbors in Asia and many countries beyond had been hoping to see dialogue between Japanese and Chinese leaders,” Mr. Abe said. “We were able to respond to such wishes and begin taking steps toward repairing our ties.”

China and Japan had earlier issued a surprise announcement that they planned a gradual resumption of diplomatic and security dialogues, though each side translated the text of the agreement in ways that made it look like the other had folded. That subtle sniping continued on Monday, when China’s official Xinhua news agency emphasized that the meeting between Messrs. Xi and Abe came “at the request of the Japanese side” — a message Mr. Xi’s expression during Monday’s handshake helped reinforce.

It wasn’t the first time onlookers have felt a chilly blast when the prime minister of Japan met China’s president. In November 2010, for example. then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan met then-Chinese President Hu Jintao. The meeting saw a few arms-length handshakes exchanged. Mr. Kan read out his greetings to Mr. Hu from a memo. A Chinese fishing trawler had collided with a Japan coast guard boat that September near disputed islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

via Watch: Xi Jinping’s Ice-Cold Handshake With Japan’s Shinzo Abe – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

Posted in China alert, Diplomacy, Economics, Foreign invasion, Good news, History, Neighbour conflict, Politics, Territorial dispute | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Beijing, China, Great Hall of the People, Japan, Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, Xi JinPing

10/11/2014

China, Vietnam willing to handle maritime issues through dialogue | Reuters

China and Vietnam have agreed to handle maritime disputes through dialogue, Chinese state media reported on Monday, months after ties between the two countries hit a three-decade low in a row over a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters.

The two Communist neighbors must respect each other and focus on long-term interests, President Xi Jinping said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

“Sino-Vietnamese relations have been advancing continuously since the two nations established diplomatic relations, despite some twists and turns,” he said.

Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang said his country was ready to “properly deal with maritime issues through friendly consultation so that the issues will not affect its relations with China”, according to Xinhua.

via China, Vietnam willing to handle maritime issues through dialogue | Reuters.

Posted in China alert, Diplomacy, Foreign invasion, Good news, History, Neighbour conflict, Politics, Territorial dispute | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, China, chinese state media, East China Sea, Japan, maritime disputes, President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, Vietnam, Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang, Xi JinPing

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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Narendra Modi Is in Fiji. This Shows Why – India Real Time – WSJ

Xi Jinping Visits Tasmania, Is Given (Authentic) Lavender-Filled Teddy Bear – China Real Time Report – WSJ

China, U.S. agree limits on emissions, but experts see little new | Reuters

China offers ASEAN friendship treaty as South China Sea tension bubbles | Reuters

COMAC signs deal for 30 C919 jets with China Merchants Bank: source | Reuters

China unveils sophisticated stealth fighter aircraft | Reuters

Xi Jinping’s Ice-Cold Handshake With Japan’s Shinzo Abe – China Real Time Report – WSJ

China, Vietnam willing to handle maritime issues through dialogue | Reuters

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