May 10 – The new issue of Asia Briefing Magazine, titled An Introduction to Development Zones Across Asia, is out now and will be temporarily available as a complimentary PDF download on the Asia Briefing Bookstore throughout the months of May and June.
The use of development zones in their different guises has been an effective model essentially brought to prominence by China over the past 25 years to help both foreign investors and domestic companies meet in a relationship that provides tax advantages to both. Development zones typically permit the foreign investor to bring component parts into a country for assembly without having to pay import duties. Investors may then add in locally-sourced components, assemble the final product, and warehouse it all duty free before then having the option of exporting the finished product (collecting some VAT rebates on the locally sourced portion) or entering the domestic market with a product assembled at local labor costs. Continue reading
Jun. 7 – Comparing labor costs is always a difficult art, not least because different countries have different ways and mechanisms of measuring these. China, for example, levies a minimum wage across the board irrespective of employment type, whereas India imposes different minimum levels dependent upon specific types of work. However, as the population demographics are now shifting to a younger workforce in India from China, such comparisons, while not exact, provide some clues about the nature of costs associated within the labor pools of each. 
Mar. 20 – Later this week, I’ll be speaking at the U.S. Department of Commerce “
Nov. 7 – Taiwanese noodle and drink manufacturer Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holdings announced Friday that it had signed an agreement with U.S. beverage giant PepsiCo Inc. to form a strategic alliance within the beverage business in China.
Oct. 31 – As Western businesses face sluggish economies, Eurozone debt, and an American election next year, beleaguered corporates need to find fast access to markets that can provide good returns for investors. Clearly, as the domestic United States recovers, and Europe continues to argue about its currency and democratic structure, the demand to develop sustainable growth in alternative arenas becomes more pressing. Wall Street remains a slavish animal, and those increasing yields need now to be gained from non-traditional markets. It’s been the case for some time now that many U.S. corporations, without their China subsidiaries contributing to bottom lines, would have otherwise been in serious trouble. However, China isn’t the only answer, although for many it may seem the most obvious. 