Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Author: Nabeel A Mancheri, NIAS
China is the world’s largest depositor, producer, consumer and exporter of rare earths, controlling 97 per cent of the global supplies.
But with China’s export restrictions, the gap between demand and supply is growing because of the dearth of any other major supplying nation. Read more…
Authors: Nabeel A Mancheri and Shantanu S, NIAS
The India–Brazil–South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA), founded by the Brasilia Declaration in 2003, serves as a coordinating mechanism between its member states.
The Declaration cited three major reasons as the basis for closer cooperation: shared democratic credentials, developing country status and desire to act on a global scale. Read more…
Author: Nabeel A. Mancheri, NIAS
India’s recent government census data reveals remarkable progress in human development: an increasing literacy rate, reduced population growth, and a declining infant mortality rate throughout the country.
The evidence runs counter to those who argue that India’s growth is only helping the rich, thus widening the poverty gap. Read more…
Author: Nabeel A. Mancheri, NIAS
Recent developments in India-Australia relations indicate that both countries are now rigorously advancing their international partnership.
There has been increased engagement between the two, with a greatly expanded diplomatic presence. There are many developments on all fronts — economic, political and strategic — yet deep engagement between the two countries remains elusive for a number of reasons. Read more…
Author: Nabeel A. Mancheri, NIAS
The Government of India has recently raised the possibility of opening the retail sector (both in single and multi-brand retailing) for foreign direct investment. FDI in multi-brand retailing is presently not allowed in India. FDI in single-brand retailing was permitted in 2006, up to 51 per cent of ownership. Between then and May 2010, a total of 94 proposals have been received. Of these, 57 proposals have been approved. An FDI inflow of US$196.46 million under the category of single brand retailing was received between April 2006 and September 2010, comprising 0.16 per cent of the total FDI inflows during the period.
The government is considering permitting 100 per cent foreign direct investment in single-brand retail. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the nodal agency for FDI policy-making, has released a discussion paper on opening the FDI in multi-brand retail inviting opinion from all stakeholders. Read more…
Author: Nabeel Mancheri, Jawaharlal Nehru University
The automobile industry is a key Indian industry. It has played a major role in driving India into the global economy. The industry has also become a major stakeholder in India-Japanese relations. Various Japanese joint ventures have been at the forefront of this transformation. In particular, in 1981, the Indian government set up Maruti Udyog Limited in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Company, the first Japanese multi-national corporation to enter the country.
An analysis of sector wide FDI inflows from Japan to India shows that the automobile sector has received the most FDI during the period 2000-2007. A sector by sector analysis of FDI inflows from Japan to India shows that the automobile industry is the leading sector, attracting nearly 41 per cent — or US$792.7 — of the total during the period 2000-2007. Read more…
Author: Nabeel Mancheri, Jawaharlal Nehru University
The Annual Bilateral Summit in New Delhi on 29 December 2009 marked a stepping stone in the relationship between India and Japan. During the summit, Dr. Yukio Hatoyama and Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Ministers of Japan and India respectively, held discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues and reaffirmed that Japan and India share common values and strategic interests. They pledged to further develop their Strategic and Global Partnership in an effort to strengthen their bilateral relations and ensure peace and prosperity throughout the region and the world.
Until the 1990s, the relationship between India and Japan had been highly asymmetrical. Read more…
Author: Nabeel Mancheri, Hiroshima University
The recently released new five-year national Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) of India has set a few objectives.
Given the current financial crisis, it is also intended to provide a confidence boost for the export market. Its objectives are ambitious. Fiscal incentives, institutional changes, procedural rationalisation, and enhanced market access across the world, as well as the diversification of export markets are the trust areas mentioned in the document.