15 - 18 July 2008
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Hong Kong, China

The Broa dband World Forum Asia www.iec.org/events/2008/bbwf_asia is designed to help service providers meet the challenges of offering revenue-driving broadband-enabled services while evolving their networks, operations, and business models in a new world of competition.

Session programming will examine the range of broadband content, entertainment, applications, access strategies, service management, and integration that form the backbone of the profitable network operator while providing a unique venue to evaluate strategy and make informed decisions. Programming is complemented by a cutting-edge technology exhibition where attendees can receive a firsthand look at the latest broadband applications, solutions and services from leading technology organizations.

As a member of ICA, enter code VIPICA when registering to receive complimentary Exhibits PLUS access or 30% discount from standard conference rates. Register

'India can play role in West Asia peace process' (Business Standard, Jun 20)
Hailing India as a supporter of the Arab cause, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad today said it can play a role in resolution of West Asia problem by using its "strong relations" with the US and Israel. He also strongly supported India's bid for permanent membership of UN Security Council, saying the "rising" country with important role in Asian and global affairs should not remain out of the world body's powerful unit.

U.S., China Agree on Investment, Clash on Currencies (Update2) (Bloomberg.com, Jun 19)
China and the U.S. agreed to negotiate an investment treaty and urged each other to strengthen their exchange rates in the fourth round of semiannual economic talks. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he was content to have ``frank'' exchanges on currency issues and hailed the Strategic Economic Dialogue for deepening the two nations' engagement. The countries also signed a 10-year deal aimed at ensuring the world's two biggest oil-consuming nations have enough energy to power their economies.

Energy prices fuel US-China strains (AP, Jun 19)
In the Pentagon's view, access to oil and other energy resources is influencing China's strategic behavior, including its approach to developing air and naval forces that can reach far beyond China's shores. "At present, China can neither protect its foreign energy supplies nor the routes on which they travel," David Helvey, a top China policy official at the Pentagon, told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally chartered group that studied China's rising energy consumption. Pentagon officials also foresee the possibility that in its search for additional energy resources, some elements of China's market-based economy will clash with the Chinese Communist Party's desire to retain its monopoly on political power and control of its most important industries, including energy. And that, in the Pentagon's view, could raise questions about the stability of the Communist regime.

China Raises Fuel, Power Prices to Curb Energy Consumption (Bloomberg.com Asia, Jun 19)
China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer, will raise gasoline and diesel prices by at least 17 percent as of today and increase power tariffs to rein in energy consumption and slow the economy. Gasoline will increase 17 percent to 6,980 yuan ($1,015) a metric ton from 5,980 yuan, diesel will rise 18 percent to 6,520 yuan and jet fuel will climb by 1,500 yuan, or 25 percent, to 7,450 yuan, the National Development and Reform Commission said on its Web site yesterday. On July 1, China will boost electricity prices by an average 0.025 yuan a kilowatt- hour and cap thermal coal prices until the end of this year.

How Does India's Energy Consumption Compare to China's? (Seeking Alpha, Jun 19)
"Mark Mathew of Merrill Lynch has said that India will be amongst the least preferred markets in Asia if oil stays high. The food price and inflation concerns not as serious as crude," according to MoneyControl, an Indian financial portal. He did not specifically address China in that article. Did he mean that India would fare worse than China or worse than most Asian countries? We don't know. We hope to hear more from him on that question. We would have thought that India would be somewhat less sensitive to spiraling energy costs than China, because India is less manufacturing intensive in its export business than China. Here is a table of total energy consumption for oil, natural gas, coal and electricity in India and China.

LG to expand its manufacturing hub in India (Business Standard, June 17)
South Korean technology major LG Electronics today said it will be expanding its handset manufacturing facility in India, which exports mobile phones to overseas markets, in the coming months.

Developing & developed nations continue to pass buck on climate (Economic Times, Jun 17)
The latest round of UN-sponsored global climate change talks has called for stepping up the pace of negotiations in the run-up to a crucial climate change summit in Copenhagen in 2009. Representatives from over 170 countries attended the meet, that ended on Friday, in their common attempts to save Planet Earth.

China Construction Bank Releases CSR Report 2007 (China CSR, June 18)
China Construction Bank has released its Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2007, which is also the second annual CSR report of the company after the first report covering 2006. The report elaborates on efforts CCB has made in environmental protection, improvement of people's livelihoods, optimization of product services, development of employees, promotion of the construction of an honest society and public welfare undertakings.

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