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

28/11/2012

* China Looks to Increase India Investments

If India allows China to invest in its under-developed infrastructure, then it will be a truly win-win situation.

WSJ: “China, already India’s largest trading partner, is looking to increase its Indian direct investment, taking a page from the playbook of other East Asian nations such as Japan and South Korea.

Zhang Ping, chairman of China’s National Development Reforms Commission, a key policymaking body, was in the Indian capital this week to hold a China-India strategic economic dialog, focused on increasing investments in each other’s countries. He was accompanied by around 200 representatives from government and corporations.

China’s official news agency Xinhua quoted Mr. Ping as saying China would “push forward cooperation in infrastructure including railway, power, telecommunications” with India.

“Economic co-operation between India and China is of relatively recent vintage and still has great potential to develop further,” said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of India’s Planning Commission. He said China’s co-operation could be valuable in bridging India’s “enormous infrastructure deficit.”

Infrastructure is a particularly attractive sector for many foreign direct investors: India expects to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure over the next five years.”

via China Looks to Increase India Investments – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

* China, India to hold strategic economic dialogue this month (chindia-alert.org)

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Economics, FDI, GeoPolitics, India alert, Infrastructure | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, China-India, India, New Delhi, politics, South Korea

07/11/2012

* India and Canada finalise conditions of nuclear deal

BBC: “India and Canada have finalised the terms for their nuclear deal, paving the way for Canadian firms to export uranium to India.

Electricity cable in India

Once implemented, the deal is likely to provide a boost to India’s plans to increase its nuclear capacity to meet growing energy demands.

The deal was agreed in 2010, but there had been differences over supervision of the use of uranium in India.

Canada has banned the trade of nuclear materials with India since 1976.

“Canada with its large and high quality reserves of uranium could become an important supplier to the Indian nuclear power programme,” India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper said in a joint statement.

‘Important economic opportunity’

India’s economy has seen rapid expansion in recent years resulting in a surge in demand for energy in the country.

In a bid to meet its growing energy needs, India has been looking to increase its dependence on nuclear energy.

It is planning to set up some 30 reactors over as many years and get a quarter of its electricity from nuclear energy by 2050.

As a result it has been looking to secure supplies of uranium to achieve that target.

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that being able to be a part of India’s nuclear power plans was “a really important economic opportunity for an important Canadian industry… that should pay dividends in terms of jobs and growth for Canadians down the road”.

Earlier this month, India agreed to begin negotiations on a civil nuclear co-operation agreement with Australia, which holds an estimated 40% of the world’s uranium.

Last year, it agreed a deal that will allow South Korea to export its nuclear energy technology to India.”

via BBC News – India and Canada finalise conditions of nuclear deal.

Tags: canada, India, manmohan singh, nuclear energy technology, Nuclear power, prime minister manmohan singh, South Korea, Stephen Harper, Uranium

18/10/2012

* Feuds in the Pacific over islands: it’s not simply a case of China against everyone else

Unfortunately for China, its recent military posturing has obscured the fact that territorial claims in the South China Sea is not only between China and its neighbours but endemic.

WorldTimes: “When it comes to feuds in the Pacific over islands and what lies beneath, it’s not simply a case of China against everyone else. Depending on the dispute, it’s also South Korea vs. Japan, Japan vs. Taiwan, Taiwan vs. Vietnam, Vietnam vs. Cambodia and numerous other permutations — for many of the same reasons supposedly behind China’s actions. Resource grab. Patriotic posturing. Historical baggage (mostly to do with Japan’s brutal occupation of most of East Asia before and through World War II). Referring to the South China Sea, former ASEAN secretary general Rodolfo Severino, who now heads Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, wrote recently that “all claimants feel their footholds are essential to what they consider their national interests … This clash of national interests … makes it most difficult even to appear to be making compromises on national integrity or maritime regimes and, thus, almost impossible to resolve [the] disputes.””

https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/geopolitics-chinese/
Vietnam voices concern over Japan’s Senkaku, Takeshima disputes with China and S. Korea at ASEAN maritime forum (japantimes.co.jp)
Japan Urges Peace as Neighbors Clash Over Islands (abcnews.go.com)
Indonesia Seeks Rules of Road for South China Sea (abcnews.go.com)
* China’s Xi seeks to reassure Southeast Asia on sea dispute (chindia-alert.org)
You: Senkaku row reverberates across Southeast Asia (japantimes.co.jp)
Beware the Chinese Sea-Dragon (newstatesman.com)

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

Tags: ASEAN, China, East Asia, Japan, politics, South China Sea, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Taiwan

08/10/2012

* Chinese tourists head overseas during holiday

As China gains in middle class affluence, its own tourists sites get completely jammed , especially as a China has three major long public holidays: Lunar New Year, Tomb Sweeping ceremony and October National celebrations. It is therefore not surprising that those who can afford it go abroad instead.

China Daily: “A large number of Chinese tourists flocked to Thailand, South Korea and Europe during China’s National Day holiday. It’s estimated that the number of tourists booking overseas trips rose by 50 percent from last year.

South Korea emerged as the most attractive destination for Chinese tourists keen to exploit this year’s longer-than-normal holiday, because of the stronger yuan and the ease of obtaining a visa and travel.

The Korea Tourism Organization said that 100,000 Chinese tourists visited the country during the holiday, a rise of 35 percent from last year. The tourist hotspot of Jeju Island alone hosted nearly 33,000 Chinese visitors between Sept 29 and Oct 3, a 59 percent increase over last year, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper.

Most first-time visitors tended to stay north of the Han River, where famous tourist sites such as the Mt Nam peak and the Gyeongbok Palace are located. However, regular visitors tend to spend their time in Gangnam, south of the river, shopping. Duty-free stores in the Gangnam area have seen sales rise, reflecting the increase in the number of Chinese tourists who regularly visit the country.

Medical tourism is also becoming more popular. Dermatologists in Gangnam are attracting more and more Chinese customers, who come on a regular basis for procedures such as skin whitening, according to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

During the holiday season, charter flights to Thailand, especially Bangkok and Phuket, were available from many second- and third-tier cities. Tourism industry insiders said Thailand is popular with Chinese tourists because of it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to get to.

Meanwhile, long haul flights to France, Germany and Belgium were booked well in advance and tour agencies had sold all their seats to the Middle East and Africa by early September, making destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and Dubai the best reserve options.”

via Chinese tourists head overseas during holiday |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

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

Tags: China, Chinese language, chinese tourists, Korea Tourism Organization, national celebrations, South Korea, Thailand

20/09/2012

* China worries spur Mexico stock market flows

Reuters: “Mexico has been on the wrong side of China’s economic boom for the last decade, but is now seeing an upturn in its fortunes as the Asian powerhouse’s economy slows and international stock pickers look to hedge their bets.

Fund managers are shifting the composition of their portfolios to protect themselves against further slowing in China. That is bad news for exporter Brazil, but good news for Mexico, which has low trade exposure to Asia and which is starting to claw back the export share and wage competitiveness it lost to China.

After China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, Brazil boomed due to a seemingly endless Chinese appetite for soybeans and iron ore, while Mexico’s manufacturers struggled to compete with cheap goods in their main U.S. market.

Brazil has grown almost twice as fast as Mexico in the last decade and overtook its northern rival as Latin America’s biggest economy in 2005, becoming a darling of investors.

But a recent soft patch in Brazil and a slowdown in China’s breakneck growth are prompting some investors to take another look at Mexico’s strong ties to the United States and the chances its new president will undertake major reforms that could push up growth.”

via Analysis: China worries spur Mexico stock market flows | Reuters.

Nothing ever stands still. At one time Japan was the destination of all new and high tech; then came South Korea’s turn; soon followed by China. But the laws of physics say that everything seeks equilibrium and the lowest common denominator (water seeks its own level). So as China’s minimum wages rise (by law – at 10 to 15% pa), other countries that appeared to be expensive are slowly becoming competitive. China, of course, will not stand still either; but will move up the value chain, as it has been doing steadily over the last 5 to 10 years.

Mexico: The China of the Americas (minyanville.com)
As China’s wages climb, Mexico stands to win new manufacturing business (chinadailymail.com)

Posted in Economics | 2 Comments »

Tags: Asia, Brazil, China, economic boom, Latin America, Mexico, minimum wages, South Korea, United States, World Trade Organization

20/07/2012

* India now top migrant source for Australia

BBC News: “India has become Australia’s largest source of permanent migrants for the first time, with six other Asian nations in the top 10, a report says.

Indian migrants comprised 15.7%, or 29,000, of Australia’s total migrants based on the 2011-12 Migration Programme report. China came in second, with 25,500, and then Britain with 25,275.

Most were skilled professionals, with accountants, cooks and software engineers topping the list.

China was top last year, with the UK top for the two years before that.

Of the almost 185,000 permanent migrants arriving in Australia during the June 2011- June 2012 period, more than 125,000 were from the skilled migrant programme.

————————————–

Australia migration 2011-2012

Total: 184,998

India: 29,018

China: 25,509

UK: 25,274

Philippines: 12,933

South Africa: 7,640

Source: Department of Immigration and Citizenship

====================================

Most of the new arrivals came from Asian nations. Aside from India and China, other source countries included the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam.”

via BBC News – India now top migrant source for Australia.

Posted in China alert, Economics, India alert, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Australia, australia migration, China, immigration and citizenship, India, indian migrants, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka

03/05/2012

* China, Japan, South Korea to boost investment in each others bonds

Reuters: “China, Japan and South Korea agreed on Thursday to boost cross-investment in government bond markets, worth nearly a combined $15 trillion, in a move that will better prepare the countries to protect their financial markets from external shocks.

East Asia blank map China/Japan/Korean peninsu...

East Asia map China/Japan/Korean peninsula (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The three economic powers sought a formal agreement, a rare one on securities investment, to ease mutual concerns about possibly massive cross-border fund flows and because their capital markets are at different levels of development. The move also comes as many of the heavily exposed economies in East Asia have struggled to find ways to avoid a repeat of the 1997/98 Asian financial meltdown and other turmoil that has struck during times of crises originating outside the region.”

via China, Japan, South Korea to boost investment in each others bonds | Reuters.

Posted in Banking, Economics, Good news | Leave a Comment »

Tags: Asia, China, East Asia, Japan, South Korea

30/04/2012

* Philippines Role May Grow as U.S. Adjusts Asia Strategy

New York Times: “… The (joint US-Philippines military) exercises included mock beach invasions along coastlines facing China, whose military buildup and territorial claims in the South China Sea have alarmed some of its neighbors and jumpstarted the United States’ military “pivot” to the region.

That American policy, which will include sending more troops and ships to the region, appears to have picked up speed in recent weeks. On Thursday, Japan and the United States announced what was effectively a compromise on Okinawa that calls for thousands of Marines to leave for Guam and Hawaii in an attempt to allow others to remain on the strategic Japanese island despite local objections. And on Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta will meet their Philippine counterparts in Washington, the highest level meeting after months of talks to expand the American military presence in the Philippines.

Ramping up the number of troops in the Philippines — even if they are rotating in and out from temporary bases — would still be something of a reversal for the nation after Philippine lawmakers years ago forced the closing of American bases, including the shuttering in 1992 of the Subic Bay Naval Station. The base, which had been a cornerstone of the United States’ military presence in Asia, was a casualty of some Filipinos’ sense that the facility served as a painful reminder of decades of American rule.

via Philippines Role May Grow as U.S. Adjusts Asia Strategy – NYTimes.com.

America continues with its strategy to encircle China in the Pacific, with military alliances not only with its traditional allies, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea; but also with Australia, India and the Philippines.

Related articles and posts:

Posted in China alert, Defence, GeoPolitics, Military | 6 Comments »

Tags: China, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Philippine, politics, South China Sea, South Korea, United States

21/03/2012

* US exempts 11 states from Iran sanctions; China, India excluded

Reuters: “The United States exempted Japan and 10 EU nations from financial sanctions because they have significantly cut purchases of Iranian oil, but left Iran’s top customers China and India exposed to the possibility of such steps.

The decision means banks in these countries have been given a six-month reprieve from the threat of being cut off from the U.S. financial system under new sanctions designed to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.

The list did not include China and India, Iran’s top two crude oil importers, nor U.S. allies South Korea and Turkey, which are among the top-10 consumers of Iranian oil.

Japan, China and India combined buy close to half of Iran’s crude exports of 2.6 million barrels a day, providing crucial foreign exchange for the OPEC member.”

via U.S. exempts 11 states from Iran sanctions; China, India exposed | Reuters.

Posted in China alert, Chindia Alert, Economics, India alert | Leave a Comment »

Tags: China, Chindia, Chindiapedia, European Union, financial sanctions, India, iran, iran sanctions, Japan, OPEC, South Korea, United States

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

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

Categories

Blogs I Follow

Posts tagged ‘South Korea’

* China Looks to Increase India Investments

* India and Canada finalise conditions of nuclear deal

* Feuds in the Pacific over islands: it’s not simply a case of China against everyone else

* Chinese tourists head overseas during holiday

* China worries spur Mexico stock market flows

* India now top migrant source for Australia

* China, Japan, South Korea to boost investment in each others bonds

* Philippines Role May Grow as U.S. Adjusts Asia Strategy

* US exempts 11 states from Iran sanctions; China, India excluded

Tags

Creative Commons

Archives

Meta

Blog Stats