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Paulson to visit India to promote US interest in India's infrastructure development.

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This editorial in the Economist looks at China's relationship with Russia. It says the Ukraine conflict and western sanctions have resulted in Russia moving closer to China. Yet the two countries have competing interests in central Asia, and different relations with India and Vietnam, in the Asian region. Russia is also wary of China copying designs of Sukhoi aircraft in sales to China of advanced military technology. The major oil and gas deal signed in 2014 provides Russia with a new outlet for oil and gas with the cooling of the relationship with Europe. Yet Russia has strong ties built with Germany over the entire post war period, and differences have emerged in U.S.- German relations. Germany's relationship with Russia- cooled by sanctions and German wariness over Russian intervention in Ukraine and Russian wariness over NATO close to its borders- spans 7 decades and is likely to remain strong in the long term. This comes from the shared sense of awareness of the terrible conflicts of an earlier period, just as it has for French-German relations, and from the strong efforts made by Germany to preserve the relationship and peace in Europe. Chinese president Xi's visit to Moscow on May 9, for celebrations of victory over Nazi Germany, will be followed by a visit May 10 by Chancellor Merkel of Germany. A factor in German-Russian relations is the close trade links, cultural exchanges, and history going back to the GDR where Chancellor Merkel is from, built up over many years, that are likely to set the long term future of relations. China's dominant partner relationship in the China- Russia relations does not bode well for the future of relations, compared to the equal partner relations with its European neighbor, Germany. In this different light Ukraine is a temporary pause, in German-Russian relations and peace in Europe, a situation which is in China's long term interest as it focusses on its economy and the next phase of development for a modernized economy. Especially as China continues to build on its own vital trade relations with Germany and the European Union, the latest example being Germany, other EU nations, and India, joining the China sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. ...

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How to build a global port network with less cash- China's state owned Cosco and it's European ports network is an example of savy buying during financial crises, and when companies in Europe and the US were keen to make sales of ports. China simply integrated it into a vast exports network, using containerized terminal expansion modernization to build its manufacturing for export model. This was an extension of its domestic network where it added new port infrastructure to newly built rail and road connections.  India today is learning from this example. By 2000 the Chinese global export model was entrenched. It was also the year when the junior Bush president extended the wars of Reagan/Bush in Iraq of the 1980's to Afghanistan. China had a clear road ahead to build state of the art infrastructure of ports, logistics and exports over the next 10-15 years without any defense costs.  Piraeus in Greece south of Athens, a port concession acquired in 2004 Antwerp in Belgium (Austrian Netherlands), a minority stake in a container port acquired in 2008. In 2013 with sale of Terminal Link ports in a 49% stake deal by CMA of France holding 51%, China has stakes in Zeerbrugge and Antwerp, Busan South Korea, and Le Havre, Montoir and Fos in France, Xiamen in China, Miami and Houston in US. Rotterdam, Netherlands- Cosco acquired in 20126 a 35% stake in Euromax Terminal in Rotterdam from Hong Kong's Hutchison's Holdings for $125 million. Valencia and Bilbao majority  51% stake for $270 million, when JP Morgan paid as much as $950 million to ACS of Spain for these ports after the 2009 crisis led to Spanish divestments. Today in TEU's shipping containers China sends goods to Europe 10 times what it takes in through Spanish ports. Hamburg-In May 2023 Germany's Scholz overruled Habeck to let sale of 24.9% of Hamburg port to COSCO go through ...

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Michio Suzuki of Hammamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, comes across as a rare figure in Japan's industrial history as one who spanned the entire period of Japan's rise as industrial power running a major textile and automobile company from 1909 when he founded Suzuki to 1978. Starting with manufacture of textile looms Suzuki saw the potential of motorized transportation in the 1920's. After the war it shifted from wartime production to introduce the first e-bike Power Free in 1952. He was succeeded by his son in law Osamu Suzuki who became another icon in automobiles by running Suzuki from 1978 to 2021 for 43 years. Between the two Michio and Osamu it spans a period 1909-2022 of 113 years, the period of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and Asia. In 1979 Osamu introduced the car for small spaces, the Alto, that is one of the most sold cars. In 1980 Osamu started the partnership of Suzuki with Maruti of India, that brought the Alto to Indian streets changing the industrial landscape of India. Here he is shown with PM Modi in 2022 celebrating 40 years of Maruti partnership with Suzuki. The writer remembers Maruti Suzuki from visits in the 1990's with higher management of the company in India on TQM education project.  ...

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India closes state borders and stems the flow of migrants as it tackles the spread of coronavirus. The Home Ministry ordered states to effectively seal their borders. The whole country is in a lockdown and prime minister Modi says this is the only way to tackle coronavirus spread.

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Did Kirsten Tatlow points out the different perceptions of China's anti-corruption initiative in a country with deeply rooted corruption. China's ranking dropped to 104th of 175 countries ranked for corruption in Transparency International's Corruption Index for 2014. The current campaign under Xi Jinping is lacking because it is partial, opaque and politically driven say researchers at Transparency International. For it to be effective it has to be done in a transparent manner, and with stronger laws for bribery, whistleblower protection, asset declarations, according to the researchers. China dropped 20 places since 2013. China's score declined by 4 points to 36. Denmark is highest at 92. Turkey dropped by 5 points. Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand, are at the top of the list. Transparency International points out that free speech, accountable government an independent judiciary are essential to tackle corruption. These are not sufficient however as the example of India shows. A culture of corruption or lack of transparency and effective laws can enable corruption to grow even in countries with genuine democratic process. Democratic process does provides remedies through a change in administration as happened in India with the decisive defeat of the corruption scandal affected Congress government....

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The Coal India IPO will bring $151 billion rupees ($3.39 billion). This is India's largest IPO. The IPO drew demand of $52.48 billion. The Indian government's goal is to raise 400 billion rupees for the fiscal year ending April 1, by selling stakes in state-owned companies.

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The redevelopment of the classic Egmore railway station in Chennai at a cost of 734 crores is set to take off. It is a much needed renovation for Chennai and will take 36 months and bring it to international standards under PM Gati Shakti Master Plan for Inter Modal Connectivity. Egmore station handles 1.2 million people daily and is one of the oldest rail stations in India, and one that connects the south with Sri Lanka. Hyderabad based DEC is beginning the initial survey and plans to make this a showcase for other rail stations in India in the drive to modernization.

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Common sense comes to the German Border with Merz and the national emergency rule at the border, just as has happened under DJT at the US Border. May 8-25 turned back at Germany's borders with 9 European countries about 100 persons- success of national emergency rule at the German Border. This relieves not only pressure on public services in German towns and cities, it also removes a source of anxiety in the people who experienced political divisions and random attacks in public spaces from migrants. It also removes the threats of extreme factions in politics that have used the migrant crisis for exacerbating political divisions. Merkel's policy was not workable from the beginning and based on assumptions that were not correct as Germany and the EU could do more to improve the modernization and improving health and education, industry and agriculture inside Asia, North Africa to help the people in these regions than by taking in migrants. Who has ever suggested migration to Europe or the US  as a solution to the problems of China and India in the 1930's and 1940's, from wars and even famines. The right solutions of decolonization turning back invasions into the 1940's, and providing technology and capital for modernization after 1950 and accelerating this after 2000 have created two modernized nations of 2 billion people. ...

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The US and Japan are coordinating efforts to limit transfer of sensitive technology to China and increase trade and cooperation within the G-7 in high technology sectors. Efforts are being coordinated with South Korea. Janet Yellen says the IMF has overblown the effects on the world economy from the US decoupling from China. IMF reports have also in addition presented India incorrectly as a non aligned country, when it is a close partner of the US. In 2023 US is the largest trade partner of India.The US position is to limit flows of technology in sectors considered vital, and continue world trade in other areas with China. US is committed to friendshoring to India, Vietnam and other countries. Germany's three parties CDU, Greens and SPD are reversing close trade and technology links with China. This is also the policy of the Modi administration which seeks close trade and technology ties to US and EU. The shift is in response to what is really an overconcentration of the supply chain in China that happened as business in the US and EU and the Merkel and the Bush-Obama-Trump administrations failed to see the risks of overconcentration. And carried out misguided policies in trade and investment that are now being reversed by US president Biden, Kishida in Japan, and Modi in India. ...

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Yvette Cooper, UK Home Secretary, continues to pursue a policy of keeping open asylum hotels even as the UK public opinion on asylum seekers shifts, with large parts of the population not supporting it. Immigration is the top issue in Britain and keeping asylum seekers in hotels at government expense is highly unpopular. Giving Reform UK support that it did not have in 2024. A WSJ report shows the problems UK immigration policy is running into in 2025 under Labour.  Editorial opinion in The Times of London says Farage's ideas on stopping migrants should be heard, as both Conservatives and Labour have not got it right, with surging numbers of migrants as long as policies on benefits favor migrant flow. It is plain common sense. The irony is that for most of the British Empire since 1600 during colonization there were no such policies favoring immigrants much less illegal migrants, colonial peoples had no such rights in British colonies in China or India much less in Britain that are now being offered to migrants coming illegally under the European Convention of Human Rights. Asian people pulled themselves up by the bootstraps- Japan, Taiwan, China, and India, and never depended on such Conventions. Some ideas in The Times of London say the UK military should be given the task of protecting the waters around Britain and some troops stationed in France to prevent illegal boat crossings where they start, considering that such action was taken during the recent Olympics in France. ...

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The Biodiversity Summit COP15 in Montreal in December is covered in this report in the Guardian. It was meant to be held in Kunming, China but was shifted to Montreal, Canada, because of China's zero Covid policy. China, US, EU, India and other Asian, African, Latin American nations are strong supporters of restoring biodiversity on the planet.

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The writer is Andrew Pollard, the Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, Oxford University. The Oxford vaccine also called the Astra Zeneca Vaccine ( Covishield in India) was developed through the efforts of Oxford Vaccine Group. The return of polio to Britain shows how little one can take for granted- nothing is certain, it happens only when we make it happen with our own patient efforts, our wisdom, foresight, learning from the lessons of the past, and working together.

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The odd situation in India where 50% of 43,000 coronavirus cases on July 28 are in just 1 state in the southwestern side of India on the Malabar coast. The next state is Maharashtra with 6000 cases and other states have about 2000 cases each including Andhra Pradesh.

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England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith's 184 helps England  get to 407 at Edgbaston against India, July 3, 2025. Smith hit the fastest century for an England batsman except for Jessup by doing this in 80 balls. Gilbert Jessup was at the Oval in 1902 against Australia, with a century hit in 76 balls. Smith's century will go in the books as the fastest for England in the last 100 years,  a feat thoroughly enjoyed by cricket fans.

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BJP under Modi returns to running the Indian capital New Delhi after a landslide win in recent elections. The new chief minister is a party worker Rekha Gupta who will take charge of Finance, Women and Child, and Vigilance departments. BJP returns after 2 decades. A win in Mumbai the commercial capital with Ahmedabad is followed by a win in the administrative capital of New Delhi, clearing the way for accelerating the modernization efforts for Vikshit Bharat, Developed India 2047.

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Dr. Andrew Pollard and the invention of Covishield vaccine at Oxford University in Britain in 12 months, that has saved the world, with 2.6 billion doses given. It is in its final act says this report in The Guardian with 3 billion doses to go for the 3 billion people in the world that have not received a dose. Billions of people in India, other Asian countries, Latin America and Africa depend on this vaccine during this pandemic.

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Honda is targeting young students and professionals and the need to navigate through traffic congestion on busy Indian urban streets to promote sales of its new models of scooters and motorcycles in India. Its taking a different route to the Indian mobility market from that taken by Tata Motors with its low cost Nano car.

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Denning uses the Brazilian government's scrapping of a 6% tax on foreign purchases of bonds to slow the slide in the value of the Brazilian currency, the Real, to point to the changed situation today for Brazil, India, Turkey and S. Africa. Current account deficits in these countries are high, and foreign investors sentiment about emerging markets may be affected by the street protests in Turkey, reducing inflows of capital. The mining worker protests in S. Africa and the street protests in Turkey, have led to a decline in the currencies of the two countries. The Fed's quantitative easing program may be coming to a close, which would reduce the flows of capital to emerging market countries. Turkey has seen a boom in domestic credit supported partly by foreign capital inflows. The current account deficit to GDP ratio for Turkey is expected to be 7.28% in 2013, for S. Africa 6.46%, and Brazil 3.25%, according to IMF forecast.

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Vikshit Bharat 2047, Voice of Youth is launched in December 2023 by prime minister Narendra Modi. The plan is for India to be a fully developed economy by 2047.