The Sky Is the limit for India China Trade Relations

China and India Trade Relations

First Published: ADawnJournal.com December 3, 2009

In the recent past India and China have continued to show a willingness to continue enhancing their relationship, and especially when there are possibilities of signing a free trade agreement. It is not too long ago that these two Asian giants agreed amongst themselves to leave no stone unturned in resisting any powers bending their elbows to force them into a deal regarding green house gas emissions. It is an open secret that with the cooperation of India and China in many areas of common interest the whole area in general is going to reap huge benefits. However, analysts believe they need to do things faster than they are happening now for their mutual benefit.

The one issue that may need to be addressed soon by those who are involved is the large gap that exists in the China India trade. Whereas the Chinese were able to push exports to India worth $31 Billion, India on the other hand managed only a paltry $9 Billion, which is close to only one third of their counterparts’ trade volume. There many Indian business people and analysts who are a little concerned and they want the issue handled not only amicably but fast also. Because there also fears in some quarters that Chinese goods could have been dumped in India, there are measures being put in place to check just that.

It may appear as if more than half of the total Indian exports to China have basically constituted of unprocessed iron ore, may be due to the fact that China has a large manufacturing base that is hungry for iron. This ends up leaving a large gap for the Indian Business people to try and put in manufactured goods that should get a good market in China as well. Some of the areas that are being considered include IT, where India is known to have a real niche and the news is that some Indian IT companies are actually setting base in China. The Chinese continue to enjoy a wide market in India for their machinery which has enjoyed good patronage over time.

There already seems to be a good wave of cooperation between manufacturing companies in both countries who discover they can be of mutual benefit to each other. Several Indian IT and pharmaceutical companies are already enjoying the benefits of cross border trade and if truth was to be told, they are seeing a good return on their investment. Some of those that have stories to write home about include companies such as Infosys and Ranbaxy among others. However they still need to pull up their socks in order to gain all the potential benefits that await them.

On the other hand there success stories from China in India and the case of Huawei Technologies comes to mind very quickly. Their investment has brought such a boost to India communication industry, especially through their fiber optic cables investment. There are of course a few teething problems that need to be addressed sooner rather than later, if this encouraging trend is going to see the light of the day and experience some exponential growth. Both governments then need to clear the path for their thriving business communities and only time will tell how far they both will go.

MEET CANADA’S PERSONAL FINANCE AUTHOR AHMED DAWN AT THE GLADSTONE HOTEL

Meet Financial Author Ahmed Dawn At The December 2009 Toronto Small Press Book Fair

First Published: ADawnJournal.com December 5, 2009

The December 2009 Toronto Small Press Book Fair will take place at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto M6J 1J6 (Queen Street West & Gladstone near Dufferin; Public Transit: TTC Queen Streetcar (the stop is right in front of the Gladstone Hotel). From 10 am-5 pm on Sat, December 12, 2009.

I will be participating in this event. This year we will be celebrating our 22nd year with a fair at the fabulous Gladstone Hotel. This is a great opportunity to meet Canadian authors under one roof. Just stop by to say Hi. Hope to see you there.

The Toronto Small Press Group meets twice a year, and I always participate in these fairs. I will be posting video clips and pictures of The December 2009 Toronto Small Press Book Fair later on. Don’t forget to check out The Toronto Small Press Group website.

Things We Have Learned From The Global Financial Crisis

Lessons From The Global Financial Crisis

First Published: ADawnJournal.com December 6, 2009

The world has once again found itself in a terrible financial meltdown that has gone to affect the whole world and the consequences are only now trying to reach the ends of the planet, with each nation getting to a feel its share of the pain. This has been a long way in coming since the last such crisis which was somewhere just at the end of the Second World War. Even though there a signs of a recovery from a distance, we are yet to get out of the woods and one would say that the developing countries in particular are going to be hardest hit for reasons that they get affected by things that happen in the first world, even when they are mere spectators most of the time.

A good many people have this feeling that the current crisis was directly caused by the poor macroeconomic policies of the United States which must have led to the decline of local saving rates because of an extremely lenient money policy. This it is noted resulted in a housing boom in the US and most of the developed world and because of poor lending standards, the downfall was not too much for anyone to predict and so obviously in a little while the credit crunch was upon the Americans. It did not take long before the ramifications got to be felt in the rest of the world for the simple reason that the world is now so interconnected financially and otherwise.

It may appear that we have reached a point in time when supervision and proper regulation needs to be considered extremely carefully if we are to get out of the current crisis, leave alone avoiding a similar one any time in the future. In many countries we saw the rise of a shadow financial system for long time, which included mutual funds in the money market, private equity and hedge funds. The challenge was the use of this short term measures to fun long term investments which may not have been the wisest thing to do in a generation that is so informed like ours.

Banks will also need to get back to their standard and regulated practices, because the trend they got into of trying to compete with the smaller financial institutions which have no regulations whatsoever was a great contributor to the plague of unplanned lending worldwide. This automatically led to the over leveraging of the world’s financial system in the US in particular but also the rest of the world in varying degrees. In a little while confidence went under and it brought an abrupt stop to funding which led to the systematic collapse of structures as we know them.

We are going to need to work out fresh new forms of financial management which are going to encompass not only local financial challenges but those that will have to look at the big picture of the global financial market. The new forms of financial engineering will need to be those that are going to look at credit risk in a completely new way which is a basic requirement in any healthy financial market.

What Is A Mortgage Payment Schedule?

Amortization Schedules – Always Keep Your Eyes Open

First Published: ADawnJournal.com December 10, 2009

On taking out a loan, it is not uncommon to get a momentary buzz of excitement on seeing the temporary balance of your bank account, showing as it does a few extra digits above and beyond the usual. It is perfectly common in such a situation to forget the small details, such as the fact that all that money needs to be paid back over time and that, generally, that money will pretty much all be accounted for in the very near future. These details come back to mind very quickly, though, in most cases, as we set about the arduous task of paying back the money we have borrowed. This is something we have to do in accordance with a schedule, and deviation from that schedule is likely to see us hit with a penalty.

A copy of your payment schedule will be one of the documents given to you on finalising your mortgage. It will tell you what you have to pay and when you have to pay it, any payments that are above normal and any that are below. Sticking to the schedule is your way of knowing that you are doing your bit under the mortgage agreement and should see you avoid any fees for non-payment being added to your account. Having a payment schedule should also put to the back of your mind any ideas about taking the money and spending it unwisely. The figures can make very sobering reading.

With a normal bank loan, taken out to pay for consumer goods, you will generally come to the end of your term while you are not much older than you are today. Looking at a mortgage payment schedule reminds you that you are locked into paying a certain amount of money for a certain length of time – and that this can add up to an awful lot of money and seem like an awful lot of time. It adds seriousness to a situation that is quite serious enough already. In short, if you borrow to pay for a house you are making a large commitment. Seeing that commitment outlined in black and white is the final proof that you’re making a step you cannot easily take back.

A payment schedule will often detail how much of your monthly mortgage payment is going towards paying down the balance of your loan, and how much is paying off interest. It is worth getting a breakdown of these figures, because there are numerous deals available which allow you to cut down how much interest you pay every month, and allow you to save money overall. It is worth shopping around for the best deals, and having your current mortgage payment schedule to hand may well enable you to research where you might get a better deal. Some deals have special terms and conditions written into them which allow you to renegotiate your deal after a certain period of time – if you feel as though your principal owing is not reduced every month, you can check around to see what other offers you might get.

Canada Seeks To Expand Trade and Economic Ties With China

Canada Is China’s New Approved Tourist Destination

First Published: ADawnJournal.com December 22, 2009

On December 3rd, Prime Minister Harper of Canada made his first trip to China since taking office. This is the first time that the two countries leaders have met in five years, making this visit significant to both countries. Prime Minister Harper is known for limiting his foreign travel for political purposes, but has recently become more active, visiting both China and India in order to increase diplomatic ties.

China and Canada have had some opposition in the past, stemming  from the Canadian act of giving the Dalai Lama citizenship in 2007, but those disputes have been put away as China has recently granted Canada an official travel destination. China has a very limited list of countries that are officially approved as travel destinations, with most of those being approved lying outside the North American continent. Canada’s unique status is the result of several decades of Chinese-Canadian cooperation. With a celebration of 40 years of diplomatic ties, both countries are happy to heal the rift. China and Canada both benefit from the ties, with economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries growing tremendously.

China has become a major partner in trade with Canada, and officials say that trade is likely to increase due to the strengthening of ties between the two leaders. Chinese tourists visit Canada regularly, and spend more in the country than in any other travel destination in the world. Chinese tourists also stay for longer periods of time in Canada than any other travel destination, making the diplomatic ties important to Canadian tourism. Canada expects to see greater economic returns from tourism, especially since China has now allowed tourism advertisements to be run in the country, persuading more Chinese tourists to visit Canada.

Cultural exchanges are also on the agenda for Chinese and Canadian leaders. China has expressed interest in a youth student exchange program that would allow young students to visit Canada to increase cultural awareness and build friendships between the countries. Currently, there are over 42,000 students who reside in Canada, attending university or studying. There are also well over 1 million Chinese-Canadian citizens in Canada, as well. The cultural exchanges between the two countries are just as important for building strong ties as the economic benefits, but there are also other common ties that have allowed China and Canada to work together.

China and Canada worked together to sign several different agreements, ranging from climate change to educational issues that will affect both countries. Canada has plan for opening up to six trade offices in China, a move that will further strengthen ties between the two. In addition to these agreements, China has purchased a majority stake in the Canadian oil fields, a project that has cost China over one billion US dollars. China’s increasing economic power has been seen worldwide, and Canada is among the top recipients of their buying power. China is Canada’s second largest trade partner economically, and with plans to increase cooperation and cultural exchange, Canada is sure to benefit in the future.