Join us for a Webinar on Tu, April 8 at 11am EDT.

As American businesses continue to expand their engagement with China and India, many companies encounter hiccups and roadblocks. Here is a chance to listen to a seasoned management consultant and author who specializes in globalization on the Top Mistakes in Doing Business with India and China. Learn how American executives can avoid these mistakes or at least mitigate the risks.

Gunjan Bagla teaches an executive seminar at Caltech's International Business program and is the author of Doing Business in 21st Century India: How to Profit Today from Tomorrow's Most Exciting Market to be released by Warner/Business Plus on July 31 this year. (The book follows Ted Plafker's "Doing Business In China"). Bagla lives in California and travels to India and China on business frequently on behalf of his clients.

Title: Top Mistakes in Doing Business with India & China
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

The only cost is your long distance phone call to dial-in.

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Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
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Emerald is delighted to announce the launch of the inaugural issue of the Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, published in March. The Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies provides broad international coverage of subjects relating to Chinese economics and business strategy in China. Emphasis is placed on research which seeks to link theory with application, assisting in the development of best practice techniques for addressing crucial issues in Chinese economics and foreign trade.

Free online access is available to ICA members until 1 April. Log on to http://www.emeraldinsight.com/jcefts.htm and select Table of Contents. When prompted, add the following details:
Username: ICAmember
Password: JCEFTS

For more information please contact the Publisher, Claire Jackson, at [email protected]

Govt should be cautious before signing FTA with China: Assocham (The Economic Times, Mar 24)
The government should adopt an "extremely cautious approach" before signing a Free Trade Agreement with China, as the resultant tariff cuts will see the Chinese goods flood Indian markets, Industry body Assocham today said. In a study on "India's FTA and the Indian Industry", Assocham said the government should not rush into an FTA but instead sign a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) initially and reduce tariffs in a phased manner.

  India, China considering joint military exercise between air forces (The Economic Times, Mar 23)
In a sign of broadening of their defence cooperation, China and India are now considering holding a joint military exercise between their air forces. The two countries held their first-ever joint army exercise in a ground-breaking confidence building measure at Kunming in China's Yunnan province in December last year.

  China to focus on common interests in economic diplomacy (Xinhua, Mar 23)
Economic diplomacy is becoming increasingly important and China should endeavor to create more common interests in its economic diplomacy, Wu Jianmin, President of China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU), said here on Sunday. "China needs to find mutually beneficial areas in handling economic and diplomatic relations with foreign countries," said Wuin addressing the first China economic diplomacy forum held here.  

  China emerges India's largest trade partner (India Post, Mar 23)
It is now official! China has emerged as India's largest trade partner, a position that was monopolized by the United States so far. This was revealed by the Economic Survey for 2007-2008, which said that 'China's trade share during April-October 2007 was even higher than that of the US by Rs.600 crore.'

  Analysis
Linking Africa's Future to Rising India and China (The Korea Times, Mar 25)
Based on a new World Bank study titled ``Africa's Silk Road," I'm happy to report that recent economic developments in Africa are both real and indicative of tremendous opportunity. I know you've heard a lot about Africa's ``resurgence" lately, but these developments are truly market-driven and not merely the result of outsiders' good intentions.

China may join Iran-Pakistan pipeline (UPI, Mar 25) 
China is ready to join the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline if India drops out of the $7.4 billion project, Dawn newspaper reported Tuesday quoting Pakistani sources. The report said Pakistan had urged Iran earlier this month to make the project final by next month because of its growing demand for natural gas. 

  India buys more time on nuke deal (The Times of India, Mar 24)
The US-India nuclear agreement is not dead. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has sought more time from Washington to fulfill New Delhi's part of the bargain, saying the UPA government in New Delhi is still trying to resolve differences with its coalition partners on the subject. 

  India woos Africa for resources, influence (AFP, Mar 23)
India is wooing oil andmineral-rich Africa, seeking to match the clout enjoyed by China, as it seeks to fuel its energy-hungry economy and boost its global profile, analysts say. India's overtures to the continent include a business meeting in New Delhi last week where Indian businessmen mingled with delegates from 33 African nations to discuss potential deals worth 10 billion dollars.

  China's installed wind power capacity to hit 10 mln kW (China Knowledge, Mar 25)
China's installed capacity of wind power is expected to reach 10 million kilowatt (kW) in 2008, and to double in 2010, thanks to the favorable government policy, electricity price and technology innovation, according to sources.

  Algeria, China sign nuclear accords (Reuters, Mar 25)
Algeria and China have signed two cooperation accords on civilian nuclear power, Algerian government newspaper El Moudjahid reported on Tuesday. One accord is between the two governments on developing peaceful nuclear power, and the other is between Algeria's Energy and Mines Ministry and China's atomic energy authority on training, research and human resources, it reported.

SMBs in China to Spend $42 Billion on ICT in 2008 (ECN Asia, Mar 24)
Small and medium businesses (SMBs, or companies with up to 999 employees) in China are set to spend $42 billion on ICT this year. This is up 12 percent over 2007, due to a boom in the overall economy and a rise in the number of SBs (small businesses, or companies with up to 99 staff). This comes from the latest study by New York-based Access Markets International (AMI) Partners Inc.

  Asian IT services market to hit $56 bn by 2011: Report (The Economic Times, Mar 25)
Asia's IT services market, led by India, is poised to expand at an average annual pace of 10.5 percent to reach 55.9 billion dollars by 2011, an industry research firm said on Tuesday. Demand for IT services in the region, excluding Japan, was estimated to be worth 37.5 billion dollars in 2007, according to the findings of a report by Springboard Research, an IT market research firm.

  India's wireless network base will soon be world's second largest (EE Times, Mar 24) 
Adding subscribers at a rate of more than 8 million monthly, India's wireless subscriber base is set to become the second largest in the world, after China's, by mid-April. According to a statement issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in New Delhi, the total number of subscribers to wireless services-including GSM, CDMA and wireless in the local loop-hit 250.93 million in India at the end of February. When subscribers to wireline phone services are included, India's telecom network hit 290.11 million subscribers at February's end.

  Indian entertainment industry to top $27 b by 2011 (Sify, Mar 25)
The Indian entertainment and media industry will touch $27 billion by 2011 at an annual growth rate of 16.7 per cent - faster than its counterparts in Brazil, Russia and China, a new report said on Thursday. In the other BRIC (Brazil, Russia,India,China) countries, the entertainment and media industry is expected to grow at an annual rate of 13, 8.3 and 7.7 per cent respectively in China, Russia and Brazil, said the report.

  Opinion
The Future of Television (CXO Today, Mar 24)
The technology that delivers television and value-added video services using Internet Protocol is called IPTV. A changing regulatory landscape, new technologies and delivery models, and the promise of ubiquitous broadband access have sparked new business opportunities among media and telecommunications organizations.

Melting glaciers to shrink crop harvests in India, China (Sify, Mar 24)
Shrinking Himalayan glaciers will turn the Ganga in India and the Yangtze in China into seasonal rivers that dry up in summers, massively reducing grain harvests, and may cause "politically unmanageable food shortages" in the region, a leading US environmental expert has warned. Climate-driven shrinkage of river-based irrigation water supplies in China and India, which produce half of the world's wheat and rice, could be "civilisation-threatening". The scary scenario can become a reality sooner than projected so far, said Lester Brown, founder and president of Washington-based Earth Policy Institute.

  Food prices are up the world over (Star Telegram, Mar 25)
If you're seeing your grocery bill go up, you're not alone. From families eating pasta in Haiti to gourmets feasting on escargot in France, consumers worldwide face rising food prices in what analysts call a perfect storm of conditions. Spiraling food prices are affecting aid agencies also. The U.N.'s World Food Program says it's facing a $500 million shortfall in funding this year to feed 89 million needy people.

  Pressure Builds for Chinese Farm Privatization (BusinessWeek, Mar 24)
In the carefully reconstructed official history of the Chinese Communist Party, there are few modern events more potent than the spontaneous land reforms carried out by a small group of peasant farmers in 1978, in the village of Xiaogang in eastern Anhui province. It is regarded as a turning point from which the country set out on the road to reform and launched the Chinese economic miracle. But the event is rarely celebrated because it lauds what was effectively a rebellion against the party and the prevailing political system of the time.

Eye on China education pie (The Telegraph, Mar 18)
A pact India and China will soon finalise to recognise each other's higher education degrees will run for five years, after which the two countries will have to review it. Either government can withdraw from the agreement during the five years "at any time, giving three months' notice in writing", the draft says.

  Universities foster technology, talent and tolerance (The Hindu, Mar 25)
India has a huge advantage over the US because so many of its young people excel in mathematics, says Richard Florida in 'The Flight of the Creative Class'. This advantage, he says, translates into jobs not only in computer science and software programming but also in market research and the development of new financial instruments.  

  Cantwell says education must focus on technology (The Columbian, Mar 25)
The American education system must be revamped and the American work force prepared for the so-called "information age," U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell told a packed room at Washington State University Vancouver on Monday afternoon. "Just like there was an industrial age that dictated what kind of jobs there were, we now live in an information age," Cantwell, a Democrat, said. "The technology in the U.S. will only last so long if you don't continue to invent and get the next generation of technology."

Foreign institutes would continue to be a lucrative option for higher studies, provided one is ready to shell out big bucks. Every year, over $13 billion is spent by 4,500,000 students on higher education abroad as they fail to get admission in domestic institutions, said a study by industry chamber, Assocham.

Govt allows FDI in education sector(India Edu News, Mar 18)
The Government of India has allowed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100%, on the automatic route in the Education Sector, subject to the sectoral rules/regulations as applicable.This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Developmen Smt. D. Purandeswari in a written reply in Rajya Sabha yesterday.

Urban Chinese welcome promise of free education(Xinhua, Mar 06)
For seven years, pensioner Zhang Jingxuan has struggled to keep Zhang Jiuzhou, his 13-year-old grandson, in school, in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.He and his wife earn 800 yuan (107 U.S. dollars) per month, from which they have to pay at least 2,000 yuan a year for the tuition and other school fees of Zhang Jiuzhou, a student at the middle school affiliated to the Shaanxi No.10 Cotton Textile Factory, where he used to work.

Minister: Joint efforts needed to pay off Chinese universities' heavy debts(Xinhua, Mar 14)
China's education minister Zhou Ji said here on Friday that various funding channels are needed to alleviate the heavy debts of Chinese universities."Joint efforts from society are needed to pay for the debts of 200 billion yuan (28 billion U.S. dollars) of Chinese universities," said Zhou at a press conference on the sidelines ofthe 11th National People's Congress (NPC), adding that "it is not helpful to always blame on it."

Nokia Questions Manufacturing Sustainability In India (EFY Times, March 24)
Reacting to the speech given by Shakeel Ahmad, minister of state for communications and information technology, at a conference organised by Telecom Equipment Manufacturer's Association (TEMA), Satish Saxena, operations director, Nokia India, blasted the Government of India for not complying with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) it signed with Nokia.

China's At-Risk Factories (Time, March 20)
China's near-miraculous economic rise has been built on the smarts of men like Cheng Wei-lun and the sweat of the 800 workers he employs as chief executive of the Tianji Wooden Products Co. Based in Guangdong province in southern China, the company, which exports $10 million worth of toys and children's furniture annually, is like thousands of other small manufacturers that help form the backbone of the country's formidable export-manufacturing machine. But that frame is showing cracks, and all the brains and brawn in the world might not be enough rescue Tianji Wooden Products.

China in need of green revolution (China Daily, March 24)
Don't be fooled by the tranquil facade of the Taihu Lake district. One of the most powerful transformations in China is underway behind its veneer of serenity, showing the way for environmental redemption to private enterprises and the authorities in other industrial districts. It has been 10 months since the blue-green algae outbreak in the Taihu Lake disrupted water supply to 2 million residents in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. Much water has flown down the Taihu since. Many manufacturing enterprises, at the urging of the provincial and city governments, have taken difficult and costly measures to cut down on industrial pollution that was said to have contributed to the algae crisis, their efforts seen as an example for others to remedy decades of environmental abuse and neglect.

Delhi one of the cleanest, greenest cities in India: PM (The Hindu, March 24)
The Delhi Government received a pat on the back from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who lauded the development efforts saying the national capital was one of the cleanest, greenest and most beautiful cities in the country. Singh also said the national capital region was among the fastest growing urban agglomerations in the country.

Great leap for China: from manufacturer to designer (San Jose Mercury News, March 22)
"Made in China" appears on everything from iPods to refrigerators, but if the country's stunning economic growth is to continue, the next step is for shoes, laptops and mobile phones to start bearing the label "Designed in China." An exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum appraises for the first time how close China is to making the jump from running the world's factory floor to taking control of the drawing boards.

China unveils draft rules for Nasdaq-style exchange (AFP, March 24)
China's securities regulator has unveiled draft rules for a long awaited Nasdaq-style secondary board for start-up companies with a lower threshold for listings, state media reported Monday. "The new board will serve growth enterprises and focus on extending support to firms capable of independent innovation," the China Securities Journal reported, citing the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

Innovation-focused funds may open new vistas for Indian cos (India InfoLine, March 24)
In these uncertain times for investors, it is heartening to note that there is always a market for innovation. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) recently announced the launch of a $100 million fund called iFund to support development of Apple's products. To use KPCB's language, iFund will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the iPhone and iPod touch platform. While the US is by far the global leader in innovation, this is unusual even by global standards. While sector funds have been around in the US, and are even seen in India to a limited extent, according to the blogwisdom, funds targeting one company and its ecosystem are a rare phenomenon.

Beijingers receive free books on health, hygiene (China.org, March 24)
Two mail carriers prepare to deliver books on health and hygiene in the Songyuli neighborhood in Beijing, capital of China, on March 22, 2008. The Beijing municipal government has decided to send free books on health and hygiene to 5 million families in Beijing by the end of March.

Commission probing price hikes for Chinese medicine (The China Post, March 19)
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said yesterday that it has began an investigation into price hikes of Chinese medicines on the domestic market. The FTC vowed in a statement to stamp out price manipulation and warned that "anyone or any group caught profiteering by doing so could be fined between NT$50,000 (US$1,631) and NT$25 million."

Medical waste, now a 'burning issue' (Sify, March 24)
As the Indian health sector grows and modernises, awareness about the safe disposal of the country's growing mountain of medical waste must grow, driven by public health concerns and demands for better environmental protection. Since medical waste is classified as more dangerous than ordinary garbage, successful hospital by-product management in India must involve strict maintenance policies to avoid the spread of disease and prevent the leaching of hazardous chemicals into ground water.

India Inc sails into shipping (The Economic Times, March 24)
Move over Indian shipping companies, the traditional buyers of shipping tonnage in the country. Corporates with interests in power, cement, iron ore, etc are adding up fleets through acquisitions as well as going for newbuilds. According to shipping sources familiar with such developments, during the last 6 months or so, nearly a dozen ships have been added by corporate entities.

China's export container transportation market coming out of stagnation (Trading Market, March 24)
China's export container transportation market is gradually coming out of its previous stagnation with cargo volumes restored to normal on the three main routes of Europe, North America and Japan during the week ended March 21, according to the latest data of Shanghai Shipping Exchange (SSE).

Publisher: L. Roxanne Russell
Editor of Academic Resources: Dr. S.V. Char
Co-Editor: Abhijit Agrawal
Co-Editor: RJ Paulsick