Tips on Designing Business Cards

Business cards are one of the simplest, most popular ways businesses market themselves, their products and services to potential clients, vendors and suppliers. Whether you're attending a networking event, hosting a seminar or meeting a potential vendor or client for the first time, a well-designed business card is a necessity. Before designing your card, consider your industry, target client and the personality of your business.


Templates


Use a business card template to ensure that the design and layout of your business cards meets the standards set by most print shops. Programs such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw offer users templates they can use to design their own cards at home. Printing companies such as UPrinting and Overnight Prints also provide business card templates on their sites for a variety of software programs. These templates provide guidelines for color bleeds, keeping images and text from getting cut off and adjusting font and logo sizes.

Select the Size and Layout


The typical business card measures 3.5 by 2 inches with text written (traditionally) horizontally, or vertically. While most business cards are rectangular, square and oval cards are becoming more common. Consider your industry, your target client and the personality of your business before you finalize the size, shape and format of your card. Individuals in creative fields like writing or design may have more freedom in designing their cards.

Logo


A corporate logo is an essential branding element essential to business card design. Whether your logo is an image with words or just logo type, add it to your business card in a prominent location. Ideally, it should be the only image on your business card, so that it doesn't take the attention away from the visual mark for your brand.

Print Size


Business cards are small and because of that it's important to include the most important information about your business, rather than trying to squeeze every last detail into such a tight space. Too many words will require you to shrink the size of your words, which makes it difficult for potential clients to correctly note contact information. Keep the company name or logo between 12 and 15 in point size, while contact details should be kept between 7 and 8 in point size.

Contact Information


Include contact information such as phone and fax numbers, email address and Web address on business cards. Social network contact information for sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook can also be included, if your company actively uses the sites to distribute information and promote products and services. A business card without contact information is useless because it doesn't provide colleagues, prospective customers and vendors a way to contact you with questions or to set up an appointment.

Color


Keep readability in mind when selecting colors to use on your business cards. Avoid colors that are too dark, bright or light, as they can make it difficult to see your company's contact information. Select colors that complement your company's logo.

Proofread


Before sending your business card design off to the printer, proofread the card for grammatical errors, ensure that all images and text are within the designated print area and that you have included your logo and contact information.

China, Russia sign oil supply deal

Russia will supply an additional 10 million tonnes of crude oil to China each year over the next decade under a latest agreement signed between Russia and China, visiting Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday in Beijing.

Medvedev said Russia's biggest oil producer Rosneft will fulfill the deal, which worth a total of 85 billion U.S. dollars.

"It is a big sum of money to any country, even to China. It testifies to the fact that we have reached a higher and a brand new level of cooperation," he said during an online forum with Internet users, according to Xinhua.

The two governments also agreed to jointly construct an oil refinery in Tianjin, which will be able to refine 16 million tonnes of crude oil each year, Medvedev said.

"It is a high-tech project, which will employ the most advanced oil refinery technologies," he said.

The Tianjin refinery is jointly set up by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the country's largest oil and gas producer and supplier, and Rosneft. CNPC holds a 49 percent stake while Rosneft holds the remaining 51 percent.

Chinese official statistics showed China imported 24.33 million tonnes of crude oil from Russia in 2012.

In June, CNPC and Rosneft signed a long-term agreement in St Petersburg for oil deliveries, involving supplies of 365 million tonnes of oil to China in the next 25 years, with an estimated value of 270 billion U.S. dollars.

Energy cooperation is an important part of Russian-Sino cooperation, he said. "Russia has a lot of energy resources, while China is a huge market."

Medvedev said Russia and China will also cooperate over natural gas supply. The two countries had agreed on a price-setting formula for Russian gas which is to be exported to China, and both sides were negotiating the price itself, he said.

"Although this issue is relatively tough, we will reach consensus soon. (Russia) will supply natural gas to China via a pipeline as soon as possible," he said.

On the nuclear front, the Russian prime minister said Russian-Sino cooperation over nuclear energy had a bright future and Russia was willing to continue such cooperation with China.

Tianwan nuclear power plant in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, which now has four reactors, was a good example of bilateral cooperation over nuclear energy, he said.

Marketing Plan for a New Small Business

A marketing plan is an essential planning element for a new small business. The marketing plan describes the products and services of the business, identifies the customers and creates a strategy by which to market the business. A marketing plan generally covers the business one year at a time, though it is an ever-evolving document that changes as industry circumstances merit. In order to write a marketing plan for a new business, the writer must first have an in-depth understanding of the business as well as the business budget.

Identify the Market Situation

The market situation for a business includes analysis of the industry as a whole. In order to write an effective marketing plan, the business must be able to identify its competitors. The business should be able to point out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each of the main competitors. Identifying this will help the business recognize its own competitive advantage. This is an area where it is stronger or better able to serve the market than the competition. It is what will set it apart in the market.

Identify the Target Market

An important element of the marketing plan is to identify the target market of the business. Many businesses make the mistake of identifying a market that is too broad, such as all residents within a 100 mile radius. The target market must be broken down; the marketing plan should identify potential customers based on certain parameters. For instance, if the business is marketing foreign language software, the primary target market may be college-educated men and women aged 25 to 54 who are required to travel internationally for business or travel internationally for pleasure on a regular basis.

Identify the Four Promotion of Marketing

The four promotion of marketing are product, place, price and promotion. The product is what the business is selling and may be a tangible product or a service. The place describes how the product will be distributed to the customers. An example would be selling to retail boutiques through direct salesmen and merchandise marts. The price of the products is based on the attributes of the product, and what is needed to make a profit as well as what the market will bear. This will be largely based on prices of similar products in the market. If your company&promotion;s prices will be different from similar products, the business should be prepared to distinguish why in product promotions. Promotion is how the products and services will be promoted to the target markets. This could include a combination of publicity, traditional advertising and newer methods such as social media.

Create the Marketing Strategy

In the next section of the marketing plan, the strategy for how to promote the products and services of the business will be outlined. It will specify exactly how the products will be marketed. Instead of just identifying magazine advertising, this section of the plan will state the name of the magazine, demographic information, pricing, issues when ads will appear and mock-ups of advertisements. The marketing strategy should be detailed enough to be able to be turned over to an agency and be executed without further input if necessary. Though businesses rarely operate in this manner, this is how specific the strategy should be.

Formulate the Marketing Budget and Timeline

The final section of the marketing plan should provide an overview of the marketing budget. This should include any direct or indirect expenses that will be charged to the marketing department. This part of the plan should also include methods of measurement and timelines. For instance, it may state that within 30 days of a magazine ad, the company should sell a certain number of products through that specific channel. This section may also include a weekly or monthly calendar that shows the promotions the business will implement.

How to Write a Business Marketing Plan

A marketing plan for your business defines and directs the marketing activities you can use to build the customer base and increase revenue. A marketing plan encourages an organization to look inwardly and outwardly to understand the impact of the marketing decisions the business owner or managers make and to discover the target market for the company’s products or services. A marketing plan helps you to set goals for the business to grow and expand.

Step 1

Create a summary and an introduction. The summary quickly lays out the main points of the marketing plan. The summary includes the marketing activities of the past, present and future while introducing the purpose of the company.
Step 2

Determine your marketing objectives. Your overall marketing objectives should state the goals you intend to achieve with your marketing strategies. These objectives act as a guide for your marketing activities and help you determine the direction of the business. The objectives should be measurable and a deadline or time period should also be included as a time line to achieve the objectives.
Step 3

Write out the situation analysis. The SWOT analysis is an evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in your business. Your goal in conducting the analysis is to discover marketing avenues you can use to leverage the company strengths and embrace opportunities. You also need to develop a plan of action to combat the potential threats to your business and create a plan for overcoming the weaknesses.
Step 4

Identify your target markets. Every business attracts a certain set of customers. As much as you desire to have a product or service that everyone would purchase, it is an unrealistic dream. Your target market is determined by the demographics, residence, social group, activities, motives and past experiences of the people who are current or prospective customers for your business. Once you define this market, you can develop future marketing action plans based on reaching this group.
Step 5

Create the strategies that detail the marketing activities. These strategies help your business achieve its objectives. Looking at what your customers want, what you can provide and what kind of competition you are battling, develop the strategies that allow you to gain the advantage. This includes The Four P's of marketing, which are the product, price, place and promotion.
Step 6

Determine a procedure for tracking the marketing activities. This procedure determines the effectiveness of each activity. Measuring the success or failure of marketing activities allows you to modify or eliminate unsuccessful activities and mimic successful activities.

ABCSources leads a new way of online purchase

With the development in diversification in social interaction activities, online shopping is emerging as a brand-new way to save time and troubles. With the growing needs swelling and expanding, the siege of Amazon and Ebay is under way to break through by a fashionable and appealing new sites like lightinthebox and DX, and ABCSources.com. This phenomenon is definitely brought up by certain reasons.

This due to the reason of customers’habit changes in the past. Vast social websites have a profound impact on process of the virtual contact. They are changing the mode of traditional online shopping.

The most important factor is the social media become an indispensable retail channel. As we all know, Facebook, Twitter, and image social media like Instagram, Pinterest become more and more popular in the youngsters. Even it becomes the essential part of the daily life from anytime to anywhere. This condition makes this kind of place become the online marketing battle on the e-commerce. Survey data shows that it will remain a backwater sales channel for the near future. The new rising companies like ABCSources.com does better job in sharing their products and other interesting information. While the traditional outlets on Amazon do nothing on the social medias. The new small objects in animes, movies, cartoons, video games, good quality and low price can spring up upon you fingertips.

Similar condition happens to the mobile Internet. Tablet and smartphone have become daily product for almost all the youngsters, which leads the big leap in the mobile Internet sales. Convenient purchasing process makes many young guys enjoy the shopping. Though it is not still the mainstream purchasing way, it is no doubt becomes the NO.1 in the coming future.

China is the future model of online retail. In fact, the majority of the big leap online outlets are coming from China. Compared with the local physical and virtual shops, the products are a lot cheaper and the products are not bad. You have to know that even the physical in the cities of America are purchasing they goods from these websites.

At this time, questions like “how long will I wait to get my delivery?”would pop up. Modern delivery system can shorten the distance between you and the rest of the globe.

Delivery improvement is another important factor of the result. In the past, the delivery of a product from the China outlets like ABCSources.com need over 1 or even 2 months to the destination as the products are delivered from the China Mainland. This condition also receives a lot of claims. However, as the build of oversea warehouses in the main cities all around the world, the shipping time can be shorten to 1 week, which is much acceptable for youngsters.

What we are experiencing at present is growing popularity in this new mode online shopping, but in long run, will the condition continue in the future? The answer is YES. In fact, the rising china outlets is catering for more and more youngsters with its special conveniency, competitive price, fashion charm.

5 Rules for Choosing a Business Name

What's a winning business name? A business name that draws business in itself.

Creating a winning business name takes some thought but is one of the most important things you'll do during the process of starting a business. Starting out with a weak business name is like trying to golf with only one club in your bag. You may sink some shots but it will be a whole lot harder.

So how do you create a winning business name? Get your family, friends and/or colleagues together for a business name brainstorming session and work through these five rules for choosing a business name:

1) A winning business name has to be memorable – but easy to spell.

Obviously, your potential customers and clients need to be able to remember your business name. But they also need to be able to find it easily if they’re looking for it in a phone book, directory or online. So choosing a business name such as “Crychalwellyn” is a bad idea. Unique is good but difficult spellings are a bad idea.

2) A winning business name needs a visual element.

What popped into your head when you read “Crychalwellyn”? Anything? Most people don't visualize anything when they read this business name that I invented. But generally we are hard-wired to “see” images when we read or hear language, and incorporating a visual element into your business name can be a powerful aid to customers’ memory (and a powerful advertising tool).

So you want your business name to have a strong visual element to it. The catch is that...

3) A winning business name has to have positive connotation.

Many words have both denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (emotional meaning). A word’s connotation can be positive, neutral or negative, depending on the emotional associations that people generally make. The classic example is the difference between “Mom” (which has a very positive connotation) and “Mother” (which has a neutral connotation). Now you know why they called them “Dad’s” cookies, rather than “Father’s”!

What it means to you is that when you create a business name, you need to choose words that have the positive connotations that you want people to associate with your business – and make sure these connotations are suitable for your business.

If you are starting a trucking business, for instance, you don’t want it to have a weak sounding or negative name, such as “Willow Twig Trucking” or “Kitten Transport”. You want a business name that conveys strength and reliability. A choice such as “Stone Creek Trucking” would be much better. Notice how all these names have a strong visual element.

4) A winning business name needs to include information about what your business does.

Chances are good that your new business is not going to become an international brand. (Learn more about branding your small business.) It certainly isn’t instantly going to become as well known as Nike. So you need to be sure that your new business name at least gives your potential customers or clients some clues about what you actually do. That’s why you see so many landscaping businesses that have the word “landscaping” in their name, and hair styling businesses that include words such as “salon” or even “hair designs” in their names.

Including information about what your business does in your business name also makes it easier for potential customers and/or clients to find your business in phone books and directories (both off and online).

5) A winning business name has to be fairly short.

Once again this is vital because you want customers and clients to be able to remember your business’s name (and be able to tell other people what it is)! But it’s also important for promotional purposes. You want a business name, for example, that will fit well on a business card, look good displayed on a sign or in an ad, and perhaps even a business name that will serve well as a domain name and show up well in search if you have an online business. So keep it as short as possible.

And a last tip: think about colours when you’re choosing a business name. Colours will be an important component of your business logo and other business promotion materials and your business web site, and colours have strong emotional associations, too. Red, for instance, is an aggressive colour; its fiery elements are associated with speed, excitement and passion while green is a calming colour associated with growth, renewal and nature. For more information on colours and their meanings see Color Meanings and Colors That Go Togetherby Jacci Howard Bear.

You’ll want to create at least two winning business names, and three is even better, because once you’ve chosen a business name, the next step is to register it and your first choice may already be taken.

Do you now have a winning business name that meets the requirements of all of the above five rules? Good! Hopefully you’ll be living with the name for your new business for a long time – and it will continue to attract new business.

How to Say "Yuan" and "RMB"

This article provides practical English advice on pronouncing RMB and yuan, which are names used for the Chinese currency, and gives examples on how and when to use these names.

Background - Renminbi, RMB
The official name of China's currency is the RMB, which is short for the pinyin spelling of "Renminbi." In Mandarin, "Renmin" means people, and "bi" means currency. The word "Renminbi" means "people's currency," and is the official term for the currency of the People's Republic of China (i.e. China).

Background - Yuan
In Mandarin, "yuan" is a term that is used as a unit of measure for currency.

How to Say RMB
Mandarin speakers commonly say "Renminbi" when referring to their currency in Mandarin, but when using English, both native and non-native Mandarin speakers commonly refer to the Chinese currency as RMB. RMB is pronounced by saying each individual English letter (i.e. RMB) without inserting pauses between the letters.

How to Say Yuan
The standard Mandarin pronunciation for yuan is very close to the pronunciation of "U.N," which is the abbreviation for the United Nations. Yuan is pronounced by saying "U.N." without inserting pauses between the letters. If pronouncing yuan is too difficult or doesn't feel appropriate, the word RMB can safely be substituted for yuan without losing the sound of authoritativeness on the subject of China's currency.

Practical Examples
The following section provides practical examples and explanations on when and how to use RMB and yuan. These examples come from an article published on the website of the People's Bank of China. The People's Bank of China is China's central bank.

Examples:
"At end-September, outstanding RMB loans stood at 29.6 trillion yuan, representing year-on-year growth of 14.5 percent."

"RMB will no longer be pegged to the US dollar and the RMB exchange rate regime will be improved with greater flexibility."

Explanation:
RMB is the same type of word as "U.S. Dollar," "Euro," or "British Pound," and so is used in the same fashion as the names of these and other currencies.

Examples:
"The RMB exchange rate remained stable. At end-September, the central parity of the RMB against the U.S. dollar was 6.8183 yuan per dollar."

"The exchange rate of the US dollar against the RMB will be adjusted to 8.11 yuan per US dollar at the time of 19:00 hours of July 21, 2005."

Explanation:
Yuan is a measure word, and indicates how many RMB will be exchanged per U.S. Dollar. In the two examples above, the word yuan can be replaced with the word RMB.

Note
In China, depending on location, in non-formal settings, the words RMB, yuan, or kuai (which is another measure word for currency) may be used interchangeably when describing amounts of money. In formal settings, however, RMB and yuan are used as described in the article above.

Starting an Eco-Friendly Fair Trade Business

I own a small business. From the paperwork side of things it really does not take a lot to register and set up a business these days. No more standing for hours at an office at the mercy of the crazy schedules of whoever has to stamp an approval on your application. Everything is online and you can get your business name filed and submitted into existence in a matter of minutes. I began my business in 2008 as a small-scale effort - by which I mean a one woman army of just me trying to make some money and see how things go. I did learn a few good lessons the hard way on that journey and I am happy to share those with you. I am glad I stuck around long enough. 2013 will be my 5th year in business and I have plans aplenty to implement and deliver.

My business, Ideas Are Us, specializes in eco-friendly Fair Trade gifts and decor handcrafted by women's groups on India. Its a niche market and we do not have many competitors in our region geographically or product category-wise to compete or compare. We have gone through stages - from experimental business undertaking in 2008 to full fledged trade show frequenter in 2009 through 2011 and even limited edition lines in 2012. Finally 2013 is the year that we are embarking on full-scale wholesale operations in a big way. We have specific markets to target, are gearing up for some major social media action, and even looking out for interns/part-time staff members to help us succeed. Plans are on to move this business from a solely online presence to one that has representation in brick and mortar stores and gift chains in select industries. We want to offer both our retailers and consumers a unique proposition when it comes to our products.

The beginning - When I began my business in August of 2008, I was reacting to a failure to find employment. I was eligible to apply for work in the country since January 2008 but had applied for so many jobs and interviews and yet found nobody ready to hire me. I needed to be hired soon before the recession took over completely. And then one day I said - well if nobody will hire me then I will hire myself! I immediately knew I wanted to do something with purpose and not just take up another franchise deal. I wanted my business to do good on a wider scale by being green and sustainable, I wanted my business to do good on a concentrated effort like helping other women in less fortunate circumstances afford a better livelihood for their families, and I wanted it to be a product that has a B2B and B2C prospect. Thus was born Ideas Are Us - green ideas for green living!

The journey - 2008 through 2009 were hard times since I knew nothing about business and did not come from a background in business. Just having a product that I thought was unique was not enough. I had to learn how to market, to present, to advertise, to sell, to network, to promote - there was so much to it. With limited finances from my savings and some help from my spouse, the money I had was all invested into product inventory and business essentials like cards and website so I did not have any money to spare for help with the different hats to wear. I learned the hard way.

The necessary - In 2010 and 2011, I learned the only way to understand where to take the business next was to go all out and market like a maniac. I was on every social network I could find. I networked in as many industry and related groups that I could to put the name out there. I printed a big box of business cards and ensured I gave out as many as possible at each event and made connections that I followed up with after the meeting. I was at every show in the state that I could possibly get myself to by car. Every weekend was a show weekend - lugging my foldable tables and chairs, and all my inventory in suitcases like I was flying cross-country. If I could manage a show during the week I would try to do that as well, despite having part-time jobs I was also working at to pay the bills. The hard work paid off - I had profits.

The experimental - Finally in 2011, I took a shot at changing up the business format to selling only online as limited edition seasonal collections. And these experiences altogether have helped me realize what I want to do for my business to succeed in the new year.

The next step - In 2013, I am taking my business completely wholesale. This will be the make or break year for me to decide if this business continues or dies out. I plan on prospecting to gift stores in specific industries in the country. I have a unique selling model in place that I am positive will pave the way for success. I plan on hiring interns and some part-time help in the new year for my business, and delegating work that I have been trying to accomplish all alone these past years.

Introduction of RO

Representative office (RO) is established by foreign companies to engage in business liaison, production promotion, market research, exchange of technology and other permitted activities in china.
RO is not allowed to directly engage in operational activities. The AIC usually specifies in the business scope as shown in the business license of ROS. That a ROS should not engage in direct operational activities therefore ROS are not forms of foreign investment in china
The representative office can't work on the following activities:
(1)Directly engage in any business for profit;
(2)Sign contracts or deals on behalf of the parent company;
(3)Represent any firm other than its parent company;
(4)Collect money or invoice organizations or individuals within China for services or products;
(5) Buy property or import production equipment.

Big bucks: Google’s Moto X marketing budget set to top $500 million

As you may know, Motorola Mobility is gearing up to launch its first flagship phone – the much-anticipated Moto X – since Google acquired the company last year.


And judging by the amount of money the Web giant is reportedly set to spend on marketing the device, failure of this smartphone to capture the imagination of consumers is not an option.

The Wall Street Journal said Wednesday Google is preparing to fork out up to $500 million – that’s right, five-hundred-million-dollars – on marketing the device in the US and Europe.
Big bucks

Now, I’m not entirely sure how much tech companies usually spend on marketing their mobiles, but half a billion bucks sure does sound like a lot of lettuce, and consequently should result in significantly more than a few bus shelter posters and a quarter-page ad in the shopping section of the Stamford Advocate.

For that kind of money, Google can go big time – a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl, for example, is said to cost around $4 million, and that’d still leave it with $496 million to play with.

In an effort to build some momentum prior to launch, Google kicked off the advertising campaign for the Moto X last week with an ad that appeared online and in a number of national newspapers.

The ad, which didn’t show a picture of the phone but did show two people jumping into a lake, included the text, “Designed by you. Assembled in the USA” – two selling points (apparently) that Google will likely be highlighting repeatedly until the fall, when the device is expected to hit stores.
All four major carriers

Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ says the Moto X will launch with all four major US wireless carriers — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile – and will come with a price tag comparable to its high-end rivals – think iPhone, Galaxy S4, HTC One.

Motorola has also managed to strike a deal with carriers to reduce the amount of bloatware on the device, the WSJ said.

There’s certainly a lot resting on the Moto X – Google’s hefty marketing budget is clear evidence of that. However, while slick ads are all well and good, most consumers will want to find out more about the specs and hold the device in their hand before considering choosing it over a rival handset.

You can check out the latest Moto X stories here, while DT’s Simon Hill offers his take on whether the upcoming device has any chance of getting Motorola back into the smartphone game.

Hands On: Nokia’s Lumia 925 offers T-Mobile users their best Windows Phone yet

Nokia’s Lumia Windows Phones are often praised for their design, possibly because they don’t look like every other phone on the market, but they’ve always been a little large and made of plastic. The newest from Nokia, the Lumia 925, breaks that mold. While still looking distinctly Nokia-like, the overall design is less chunky and less curvy and includes a bit of metal along with plastic. This Lumia looks more like the competition than others in the family. But is that a bad thing?
Design

The first thing we noticed when picking up the Lumia 925 is how much lighter it feels than the 928 or 920. The difference isn’t vast, it’s just notable. We also found this Lumia more comfortable to grip due to the rounded edges. Though it has the same size display as the Lumia 928, the 925 comes off as more compact and we hand no trouble using it one-handed during our short hands-on time.

A metal band encircles the edge of the Lumia but does not encase the back – that’s still plastic. This is a nice aesthetic touch, we’re just not sure the material gains the Lumia the premium air Nokia is going for. It doesn’t have the solidity of the HTC One, for example. Neither does it have that phone’s heft.
Camera

We couldn’t test the Lumia 925′s camera extensively; that will have to wait for the full review. It’s similar to the one found on the 928 and 920 but with a more advanced lens. The xenon flash isn’t on board, instead it has dual-LEDs. This isn’t as big a blow as it may seem since the xenon’s performance on the 928 hasn’t lived up to the hype.

We took a few experimental shots and found the images pretty crisp when zoomed and color accurate. The shutter responded well to the hardware button on the side. It’s not as fast as the iPhone 5, faster than the Galaxy S4. The resulting pictures aren’t as good as the ones we’ve seen from either of those phones, though. It looks like the Lumia 925 won’t be a big upgrade from either the 920 or 928.
Performance and T-Mobile LTE

Like most Windows Phones, the Lumia 925 runs speedy and smooth thanks to the dual-core processor inside. Navigating the interface, opening apps, and loading web pages all happened without a hitch. On T-Mobile’s LTE network we noted speeds around 12Mbps.
Is Incremental Okay?

The Nokia Lumia 925 doesn’t represent a huge leap forward for the handset maker despite the relative newness of the design and materials used. This is not out of line with Nokia’s overall strategy. The 800 Series Lumias are all slightly different on the outside and the same at their core. The 900 Series appears to be going that route as well. Each carrier gets a little differentiation and everyone is happy. At least, that’s how it used to work.

With Apple and Samsung pursuing the same phone across all carriers strategy, will consumers find the subtle differences between the Lumia 925, 920, and 928 helpful or annoying?

More Chinese firms investing in the US

The TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. In January, the Chinese TV maker TCL Corp purchasednaming rights to the Hollywood landmark Grauman's Chinese Theater. Chinese investment in the UShas been on a rapid rise in recent years. 

Despite specialized and govt challenges, Chinese suppliers business financial commitment in the United Declares will keep increasing quick in the long run, experts said.

"Chinese financial commitment in the US will absolutely increase quick and the strength will not be obstructed,"Huo Jianguo, chief executive of the Chinese suppliers Academia of Worldwide Trade and Financial Collaboration, a think container of the Secretary of state for Business, said on Friday.

He included that the huge US industry has innovative technological innovation and management, offering remarkable possibilities for Chinese suppliers traders in terms of mergers and products as well as setting up vegetation through greenfield investment strategies. Huo included that Chinese suppliers financial commitment in the country will benefit both factors.

Chinese numbers revealed that the nation's total financial commitment in the US increased to $9.3 billion dollars in2012 from $1.88 billion dollars in 2007, while US numbers said that the collective financial commitment jumpedfrom $3.4 billion dollars to $22.8 billion dollars in the same period, Zhao Weiping, Chinese suppliers Consul General toChicago, said in delayed Apr.

Zhao included that moreover to the appeal of the industry and technological innovation, the US also haslow costs for resources and area use, and that Chinese suppliers financial commitment in the US will keep increasing,which will improve the investors' competition.

Meanwhile, the US is improving its Select USA effort to attract international financial commitment, while the Chinese suppliers govt is motivating household organizations to get overseas, such as in the US,he included.

"In the long run, Chinese suppliers financial commitment tasks in the US will rely significantly on whether the US can create a more positive environment," Zhao said. "The US should have a ideal perspective for pleasant Chinese suppliers financial commitment and avoid politicizing normal dealings. In inclusion,governmental emails should be increased to reduce doubt."

In the past few years, Chinese suppliers financial commitment in the US was affected by some negative factors, such as the US regular politicizing of Chinese suppliers spending and preventing dealings for so-called"national security" reasons, which is China's greatest concern, according to Zhao.

After Chinese suppliers various meats massive Shuanghui Worldwide Holdings Ltd suggested in delayed May to buy Cruz field Foods Inc, the greatest chicken manufacturer, some US senators advised the Current to consider whether the suggested $4.7 billion dollars deal - the greatest takeover of a US company by a Chinese suppliers company ever - presented a risk to the US food that could rationalize preventing it.

"Some challenges are specialized, such as the ban on international possession of farming area in the Shuanghui case. But many other difficulties come from the US' protection of its delicate areas,including telecommunications and energy organizations, with nationwide protection justifications," Huo said. "AsChinese financial commitment in the US keeps increasing, the difficulties will also keep growing."

China and the US will hold the fifth Strategic and Financial Conversation, or S&ED, on Wed and Friday in California.

The Chinese suppliers ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai, said in a Friday news meeting that the bilateral financial commitment pact will be a very important subject for the future speaks.

"Chinese traders have shown great passion in making an investment in the US and their investment strategies will bring win-win results. But they were encountered with govt challenges, rather than economicones. Both factors should make realistic initiatives to remove these challenges as soon as possible," Cui said.

China and the US formally released the discussions on a bilateral financial commitment agreement in 2008.The 9th circular of speaks was determined in early July.

Are you confident in China’s economy?

Last week’s credit crunch, plus the stock market slump, increased people’s concerns that the economic slowdown may accelerate in China. Recent assessments have also added to a gloomy picture for the economic prospects of the world’s second-largest economy. In its latest Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank cut its 2013 economic growth forecast for China from 8.4% to 7.7%. So what are your prospects for China's economy? Is China’s economy heading for a crash? Are the authorities capable to have the situation in hand? Please share your thoughts and opinions.

China's strategic opportunities.

The 18th National Congress report pointed out: Looking at the international and national overall conditions, China's development is still situated in the important strategic era of opportunity and capable of great action. In deciding the basic overall conditions, this is the basis for China's future economic development, diplomatic strategy and tactics. If it is decided that a new era of cold war has been entered then Beijing will naturally put conflict in the primary position. On the other hand, if it is decided that the era of opportunity if still present then continuing to develop is the incontrovertible reason and (China) should be totally devoted to development.


This is the basic error made by the Chinese people. They have been brainwashed into thinking that "economic development" is equivalent to expanding exports which obviously earns China huge amounts of dollars, yen, and euros. To an average Chinese such foreign reserves are equivalent to wealth and proof of China's "development." Most Chinese also believe that jobs for Chinese workers can only come from exports. That is, no exports means no jobs. Therefore, the Chinese people are terrified of losing exports. Because of this erroneous understanding of basic economic principles the Chinese people feel they must choose between national honor and economic development. That is, they think they can either have national honor but without wealth or they can have wealth but without national honor. No Chinese believe that they can have both wealth and national honor.

The above quote reflects this erroneous understanding. The quote said clearly that economic development, which can only be derived from exports, should continue unless the world enters a new cold war era. The impliction is that if China should fight a new cold war then it must give up economic development and lose its opportunity for economic development which can only come through exports.

It both saddens and angers me to hear this kind of talk. I have pointed out that the greatest strategic opportunity for China's economic development is through domestic development based on indigenous technologies, the urbanization of the farmers and the self-sufficiency of energy. If the Chinese people can produce all the goods and services they need and want why should they import anything from any foreign countries? If the Chinese workers can produce their own food, energy, medical machines, education equipments, computers, jumbo jets, etc., why do they need to import anything? Why should China import any food if Chinese farmers can produce all the food Chinese people need? Why should China import jumbo jets if Chinese engineers can make the best jumbo jets in the world? Why should China import TVs and all kinds of consumer electronics from Japan or S. Korea if Chinese engineers can make the best of these products in the world? In short, why should China import anything if Chinese engineers can produce the best of everything in the world? Therefore, it should be obvious to anybody willing to think objectively that China ultimately cannot export cheap labor intensive products and import expensive foreign products that only a few very rich Chinese can afford. It should be obvious that Chinese investors can invest some 1,000 trillion yuan over the next 30 years to produce anothe 250 trillion yuan of goods and services for a total gross national output of goods and services amounting to some 300 trillion yuan per year. This will then give the Chinese people the highest standard of living in the world bar none.

Therefore, the biggest overall picture is that the strategic opportunity lies within the Chinese people and not in foreign countries. Therefore, it does not matter whether the world has entered a new era of cold war or not because China's opportunity for development lies within China's borders and reside in the heart and soul and mind and strength of the Chinese people. That is to say, even if the world has entered a new era of cold war, China can still continue to develop economically through developing the internal domestic economy while simultaneously stop trading with those countries that currently import Chinese products. If China can continue to expand its national output by 100% or 50 trillion yuan over the next 10 years through domestic growth, it makes no difference to China's economic development if it lost 5 trillion yuan of exports in the same period of time. And if China can grow 500% or 250 trillion yuan over the next 30 years through domestic growth, it makes even less difference to China's economic development if it lost 5 trillion yuan of exports in the same period of time. Ultimately, China has the potential to create a national economy of some 300 trillion yuan or $100 trillion based on 3 yuan per dollar. China cannot export more than $2 trillion or 6 trillion yuan of products. Therefore, it is foolish in the extreme to trade 6 trillion yuan of exports for 300 trillion yuan of domestic economy. Especially, exports will obvious impoverish the Chinese people becaise it requires cheap labor while domestic economic development will enrich the Chinese people because it requires high skill which deserves high incomes and raise their standard of living to the highest level in the world.

It saddens me to see the Chinese people foolishly pursue a mirage of "economic miracle" where "strategic opportunities" lie in foreign countries which in fact impoverish them. When can the Chinese people open their eyes and smarten up and see the truth that they themselves are their own best strategic opportunities and the only strategic opporunities because they can only grow by relying on themselves and not on foreigners.

If the Chinese people doubt what I say, then they should ask the elite economists the simple question, "How can the Chinese people earn $50,000 equivalent by exporting products to the world?" The answer they will get is, "It is impossible for Chinese people to earn $50,000 equivalent by exporting products to the world because that means exporting $75 trillion of products per year and the total world GDP is only some $50 trillion." My question to the Chinese people is also simple, "Can you (the Chinese people) produce 300 trillion yuan of goods and services for domestic consumption by producing food, clothing, housing, medical services, education for you children, TVs and consumer electronics, energy, super computers, jumbo jets, fighter jets, etc.?" The clear answer is yes. Do I need to say more?

Maturing China-India Relations and Analysis

As two big simultaneously rising developing nations, both China and India have been attracting a good deal of global attention, as well as between themselves. In recent years, while territorial disputes among some Asian countries have begun to surface, China and India have maintained stable and steady improved overall relations, with a relatively calm border region. Whether this will emerge as a make-do transient phenomenon or it demonstrates a well-thought-through long-term plan will not only shed light on the direction of future China-India relations but also may serve to exemplify a new path for neighboring nations to follow in the event of territorial disputes, and a model for how major powers should develop new-type relations. This article intends to focus on the course of China-India relations since 1988, from thaw to maturation, analyzing the features and causes, and projecting future trends.

                                                                                 I

It has been 63 years since China and India established diplomatic ties on 1 April 1950. Marked respectively by the 1962 border conflict and the 1988 historic China visit by Rajiv Gandhi, China-India relations can be generally divided into three phases: the friendly period prior to 1962, the freeze between 1962 and 1988, and the period of normalization and development from 1988 onwards. Within this latest phase, there has been a shift from relaxation of tensions to incremental maturation. Since the dawn of the new century, relations between the two countries have picked up momentum, with frequent high-level exchanges, steady progress in boundary issue negotiations, and comprehensive exchanges and cooperation on economic, cultural, military as well as multilateral issues. The two countries established the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership in 2005. Although the period since has been marked by occasional problems such as visa and border issues as well as Tibet, overall relations have been growing at a steady pace. In fact, when it comes to border disputes, China and India have found an effective approach to managing differences and promoting pragmatic cooperation and this is helping to carry forward their relationship to a more advanced stage.

The maturity of current China-India relations is evidenced in the following four ways. First, the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership has basically functioned as the general framework. As to the nature of China-India relations, there has been considerable debate in international academic circles. Some western scholars often compare China and India to the Dragon and the Elephant, and as such label their relationship as one of confrontation and competition.1 Such an assertion results partly from the deep memory of the 1962 war and the ensuing long-lasting hostility. It also reflects the reality that the border issue remains unresolved, as well as the confrontational perspective of the western tradition. Skeptics are also aplenty within both China and India, especially in India, where the so-called China Threat makes a frequent appearance in media reports. Faced with a public opinion environment that is less than favorable both internally and externally, both governments have been keeping a cool head. The two sides established the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in 2005, setting the tone and clarifying the nature of their relationship with one another. Latest developments confirm that the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership has indeed stood as the guiding doctrine for the bilateral relationship. Despite their quarrels and new and old issues relating to border disputes, Tibet, and visa disagreements, as well as the trade imbalance, the determination of the two countries to carry forward the Strategic Partnership remains unshaken. Moreover, the two sides have cemented a series of consensuses through frequent high-level exchange visits, which in turn have enriched and enhanced the partnership. These consensuses include: The two countries are not rivals or competitors but are partners for mutual benefit. There is enough space in the world for the development of both China and India, and indeed enough areas upon which the two can cooperate. China-India relations go beyond their bilateral scope and have acquired global and strategic significance. The two countries are committed to resolving their outstanding differences on the basis of mutual respect and sensitivity for each other’s concerns and aspirations. China-India relations are not targeted at any other country, and nor will the relationship affect their friendship with other countries.1 In practice, the two countries have accepted each other’s peaceful development or rise and have begun to readjust to realities. In 2011, the two countries held the first Strategic Economic Dialogue, in which they engaged in an in-depth and frank exchange of views on the world economic situation, their respective domestic macro-economic situations, the goals and implementation of the mid and long-term economic and social development plans, with a view to learning from one another, conducting mutually beneficial cooperation, and promoting the development of each country.2 In addition to these bilateral accomplishments, multilateral cooperation has been an eye-catching success. China and India have kept close communication and consultation in multilateral forums such as the G20, BRICS, BASIC, and the Doha Development Round of WTO, and made concerted efforts on the issues of the international financial crisis, climate change, energy security and food security towards safeguarding the interests of vast numbers of the developing countries.

Second, differences and disputes are carefully handled and mutual trust and confidence vigorously enhanced. An undecided border remains the core issue that has long been holding back China-India relations. It is exactly because of both countries being too headstrong on this issue prior to 1988 that the bilateral stalemate came to pass. During his visit to China at the end of 1988, Rajiv Gandhi agreed in principle to de-link the border question from cooperation in other fields. This breakthrough paved the way for the ensuing normalization process between the two countries, as expressed in the Sino-Indian Joint Press Communiqué signed in the same year:“They [also] agreed to develop their relations actively in other fields and work hard to create a favorable climate and conditions for a fair and reasonable settlement of the boundary question while seeking a mutually acceptable solution to this question.” This principle has since been habitually reiterated in the bilateral official documents, and in practical terms it has been carried out with sincerity. It has evolved further into a form of de-linking of all differences from cooperation in other areas. The 2006 Joint Declaration by China and India points out that“both sides are committed to resolving outstanding differences, including on the boundary question, through peaceful means and in a fair, reasonable, mutually acceptable and proactive manner, while ensuring that such differences are not allowed to affect the positive development of bilateral relations.

It has to be stressed that de-linking the border question from cooperation in other fields does not mean that the issue has been shelved or avoided. On the contrary, China and India have bestowed unprecedented efforts in finding a peaceful solution, and secured significant progress in this regard. The two sides launched the mechanism of meetings between Special Representatives (SR) on the border issues in 2003, and agreed to a three-stage process, i.e. establishing the guiding principles, working out a framework for boundary settlement, and, finally, delineating and demarking the border line. The Special Representative mechanism facilitates in-depth discussions for SRs appointed by the top political leadership of the two countries, who are thus entrusted with higher political authorization. The Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the China-India Boundary Question was sealed in 2005. As the first ever political document agreed upon since China and India started border talks in 1981, it was hailed as“considerable progress”or even“a [big] breakthrough”.1 The Joint Statement signed by the two countries in the same year further set the goal of pursuing an early settlement of the boundary question as“a strategic objective”. The Special Representatives have kept their regular meetings for a framework settlement and conducted 15 rounds of talks so far. Despite the slower-than-expected progress and enormous difficulties in reaching a final solution, both sides remain firmly positive about the mileage covered. Indian Special Representative Shivshankar Menon told the press at the end of 2012 that the two sides were preparing a common understanding report reviewing the long-running negotiation process on a framework for settling the boundary dispute.

Evidently, without a resolution of the boundary question, suspicion and distrust between China and India will not be eradicated. The trust deficit, if left to propagate, could bring about unnecessary damage and interference to the bilateral relationship. It is because of this that the two sides have made relentless efforts and harnessed remarkable progresses in confidence building. This is conducive not only to the effective maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas but also to a positive political atmosphere in the bilateral relationship. On the one hand, two agreements and one mechanism have played important roles in keeping the border areas“still”. The two agreements referred to are the 1993 Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility Along the Line of Actual Control in the China-India Border Areas and the 1996 Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field Along the Line of Actual Control in the China-India border Areas. As the two countries do not see eye-to-eye on the position of the Line of Actual Control, in order to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation, China and India constructed a Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on China-India Border Affairs in January 2012. The Working Mechanism is tasked to address issues and situations that may arise in the border areas and to maintain peace and tranquility through timely communication of information.1 On the other hand, as an all-new field in bilateral ties, military exchanges have constituted an integral part of the confidence-building endeavors between the two countries in recent years. Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and Chief of General Staff Liang Guanglie visited India in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee paid a visit to China in 2006. The two sides signed the first ever MoU on Defense Exchanges between the Armed Forces of China and India, and agreed to further strengthen defense ties. In 2007, China and India decided to conduct Annual Defense Dialogues, and so far five rounds have concluded. The two countries also held a series of joint exercises including the Joint Naval Exercise in 2003 and the Joint Training Exercises between the PLA and the Indian Army in 2007 and 2008. Military to military exchanges were brought to a halt in 2010 after quarrels broke out between the two sides over the visa issue.  However, these were resumed by the end of 2011. A highlight of Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie’s visit to India in September 2012 was the series of new consensuses on restarting and strengthening defense cooperation between the two sides. These include: strengthening high-level exchanges between the two Defense Ministries and the Armed Forces of both sides; establishing a mechanism for exchange of visits by young officers; promoting exchange visits by personnel at different levels and in various fields; further enhancing and strengthening cooperation between the naval forces of both sides in counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia; and conducting the next round of joint military exercises at the earliest opportunity;1 The revival of military-to-military exchanges marks in a significant way the maturity of the China-India relationship, and works as a crucial stabilizer for its steady development.

Third, the scope and depth of bilateral ties continue to broaden and deepen. Economic cooperation is one of the most prominent aspects of China-India relations. Bilateral trade reached a historic high of 73.9 billion USD in 2011.2 This was 25 times and 284 times the respective figures of 2000 and 1991. China is currently India’s largest trading partner, while India is the 10th largest trading partner of China and the largest in the South Asian region. Major items exported from China include machinery, electric machinery, steel, and organic chemicals. India’s major exports to China include iron ore, cotton, plastics, and automobile parts. Apart from commodity trade, mutual investments have also grown rapidly. The Agreement on Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion was signed in 2006, and this provided an institutional and legal framework for the promotion of mutual investments. According to statistics, Chinese cumulative investments in India to December 2011 amounted to 575.7 million USD and Indian cumulative investments in China to 441.7 million  USD. Prominent Indian companies such as Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Infosys, and TCS have set up operations in China. Many large Chinese companies including Sinosteel, Sany Heavy Industry Ltd, Huawei Technologies, ZTE, and Haier have either operation or investment in India. During the Second China-India Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) in 2012, intended mutual investments stated in the MoUs between the two countries totaled 4.8 billion USD. Since 2006 the two sides have successfully held five rounds of Financial Dialogues and kept close consultation on issues of general interest such as the global macroeconomic situation and policy responses and reforms of the international monetary system. Many Indian banks have established their presence in mainland China, and the State Bank of India was authorized to conduct local currency (RMB) business at its branch in Shanghai.1 The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China inaugurated their Mumbai branch in September 2011.

Finally, exchanges and cooperation between China and India in the areas of energy, science and technology, culture and people-to-people have also expanded across the board. In Energy Cooperation: the two countries signed the Memorandum on Cooperation in the field of Oil and Natural Gas in January 2006, and agreed to encourage collaboration between their respective enterprises through joint exploration and development of hydrocarbon resources in third countries. Prior to that, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) had been working together as joint operators in Sudan for three years. At the end of 2005 the two above-mentioned companies announced that they had jointly won a bid to acquire 37% of Petro-Canada’s stake in the Syrian oilfields for US$573 million.2 China and India have also strengthened cooperation on clean energy and renewable energy. For example, China’s Ming Yang Wind Power Group, based in Guangdong Province, and India’s Reliance Power Limited signed a framework agreement on renewable energy projects worth 3 billion USD at the end of 2011.3 According to the website of the Indian Embassy in Beijing, China has also exported nuclear reactors to India in recent years, proof that substantial progress has been made between the two countries in civil nuclear cooperation. In Science and Technology Cooperation: in 2006, the two sides agreed to launch joint projects in the four following areas: earthquake engineering, climate change and weather forecasting, nano-technology with focus on advanced materials, and biotechnology and medicines with focus on bio-nano.1 A Memorandum of Understanding between China and India on Cooperation in Green Technologies was signed in 2010. Bilateral cooperation on information technology has also been strengthened. India’s National Institute of Information Technology and China’s Henan Province struck an 800 million USD deal on setting up an Information Technology Park in Henan. The two countries also agreed to jointly develop common standards for digital television and mobile telecommunication. In Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges: a series of activities including the China-India Year of Friendship through Tourism, the Festival of China in India and the Festival of India in China, the Year of Exchanges, and the Year of Friendship and Co-operation have brought cultural and people-to-people exchanges to new heights. From 2006, the two sides started to exchange youth delegations. Establishment of the China-India Outstanding College Students Exchange Programme was announced in 2010.3 From April 2011, Chinese was introduced as a foreign language in the curriculum of secondary education in India. Currently there are approximately 10,000 Indian students pursuing further studies in China, a large number of who are majoring in medical science. There are approximately 2,000 Chinese students studying in India.

                                                                                     II

The steady growth and gradual maturity of China-India relations over recent years is due to a number of factors. Objectively speaking, the convergence of national interests formulates the most crucial basis for the increasingly mature nature of this relationship. It is exemplified in two ways: first, China and India have similar strategic goals and share similar strategic considerations. An emphasis on development and the pursuit of growth sets the canvass for the peaceful coexistence of the two countries. Second, the two countries enjoy parallel international status and self-identify in similar ways. Common interests bring them together on many issues, in particular multilateral issues. A look at the development paths of China and India over the last two or three decades reveals a striking convergence in their strategic goals and strategic focus. Although they come from different starting positions, both countries have embarked on a critical transformation to restore economic development and national rejuvenation, and place this at the core of the national goal. As such, their diplomatic and security policies have been reoriented to create favorable external environments for such a purpose. Since the reform and opening up in 1978, China has been acting upon such a conviction. The recently-concluded 18th Party Congress of the CPC unequivocally reinforced it by setting two Centennial Goals, namely that China must have completed the construction of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the time the Communist Party of China celebrates its centenary, and that by the same time China should identify as a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious. India launched its economic reforms in 1991 and experienced another phase of fast growth into the new century. A ranking member of the Emerging Economies, India stands ninth in the world in terms of GDP.1As a matter of fact, the“Indian Renaissance”and“Reclaiming India’s rightful inheritance as a Great Power”has been chartered as a strategic goal and a starting point for policies by successive Indian governments since the end of 1990s. In his speech given at the Chinese Social Sciences Academy, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointed out that even though the two countries’systems were different, people in both countries were united in their aspiration for a better future.“The development agenda has taken centre-stage in both our societies. The primary task of our foreign policy is to create an external environment that is conducive for our rapid development. Both India and China seek tranquility and stability in our immediate neighborhood and extended region.”2 It is precisely upon such similar strategic understandings that China and India have come to the realization that as two adjacent major countries sharing common mountains and rivers, they have in fact formed a Community of Common Destiny. To maintain friendly and stable China-India relations is in their mutual interest. As the saying goes, “harm to one and harm to all, prosperity to one and prosperity to all.”  To accelerate economic development and improve people’s livelihood represents the most ardent hope of the two peoples...Similar experiences, similar national conditions and common challenges have deepened our mutual understanding, and made it necessary for us to support each other,”elaborated Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in the speech made during his visit to India in 2010.3 The Joint Communiqué of China and India signed in the same year also reiterated that“The two sides welcome each other’s peaceful development and regard it as a mutually reinforcing process. They believe that their growing relationship offers increasing opportunities to advance their cooperation. There is enough space in the world for the development of both India and China, and indeed enough areas for India and China to cooperate.”Both big developing nations and emerging economies with common interests, China and India have kept close consultation and coordination on issues of global significance and in multilateral fora. Take climate change, for example. China and India, as two large developing nations with a sizable population who still live below the poverty line, have long held up economic development as their top priority. Meanwhile, as two fast emerging economies under the spotlight of the western media, they both face huge pressure to reduce emissions. Small wonder that on this issue the two countries have come to a kind of de facto alliance, as both need to strike a fine balance between economic development and emissions reduction. Global economic governance is another example. China and India share common goals in the reforms of the international monetary and financial systems and in boosting their own influence. It is China and India’s common aspiration to establish an open, fair, equitable, transparent, and rule-based multilateral trading system.1 The two countries also face the common challenges of stabilization of food and energy prices and improved regulation of the derivatives market for commodities. As such, they maintain almost identical stands on the above-mentioned issues and put in a concerted effort towards global economic governance reforms in important multilateral forums such as the BRICS summit, the G20, and the Doha Development Round of WTO.

Subjectively speaking, strong guidance from the top political leadership and intensified mechanisms of consultation and dialogue are two vital drivers of the steady improvement in bilateral relations, especially when considering that lack of confidence and disputes continue to exist.

“Piloted by the top” is indeed a stand-out feature of recent China-India relations. It is illustrated in the following two ways. On the one hand, the frequent exchange of high-level visits and direct contact between top leaders of the two countries have not only repeatedly reaffirmed the direction of the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership and strengthened bilateral ties, but have also, through timely communication and dialogue, helped to clear some roadblocks (e.g. the visa issue) and to eliminate certain unnecessary suspicions (e.g. the water resources issue). At the bilateral level, leaders of the two countries have continued to meet annually. They also meet in multilateral fora such as the G20, the East Asia Summit, and the BRICS Summit, of which China and India are both members. In order to strengthen high-level direct links, the two countries decided in 2010 to establish a mechanism for regular exchange visits between Heads of State/Government and an annual exchange of visits between the two Foreign Ministers. A telephone hotline between the Chinese Premier and the Prime Minister of India was also established in this year. In fact as far back as 2009, Premier Wen and Prime Minister Singh held several telephone talks to coordinate the position of the two countries for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which was convened at the end of the year. During the Conference, they met each other and maintained close contact, worked together with other developing countries to put forward a position paper, and urged the developed countries to fulfill their obligations and commitments. This kind of cooperation and coordination effectively upholds the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.1 On the other hand, top political leaders of the two countries maintain hands-on engagement in key and sensitive bilateral issues. As mentioned earlier, political authorization of the Special Representatives from the top leadership of the two sides ensures thorough and productive discussions on the border issue. This is also a manifestation of the constant attention and direct guidance on this issue from the top political leaders of the two countries. In fact, the Special Representatives talks in recent years have not been confined to the border question per se but have expanded into many other bilateral areas, a sign that these are evolving into a new platform for high-level strategic dialogue. As mutual confidence between China and India is still gathering pace, some media (mostly Indian) tends to exaggerate the disputes between the two. When untruthful reports and comments that have the potential to cause severe damage to bilateral relations, the two governments including top political leaders step in with timely clarifications. Here are two examples. There has been quite a lot of attention in India recently on the security of the trans-border rivers. Indian media reports maintained that China was planning to build a series of dams at upstream Yarlung Zangbo River (Brahmaputra in India) in order to“divert water from the West to the East”, thus affecting the water security of India’s downstream. China made several official clarifications on this matter. According to media reports, the Chinese Premier and the Indian Prime Minister discussed this issue during their meeting at the East Asia Summit in 2009. Prime Minister Singh later told his domestic audience that he“believed”that China had no such plans.1 The Chinese Foreign Ministry also clarified this more than once by stating that as a responsible country China would pursue a balanced policy of development and reservation in tapping the water resources of trans-border rivers, and would always fully consider the impact on the downstream region. The 2010 Joint Communiqué spoke highly of“the good cooperation between China and India in the field of trans-border rivers”. The Indian side expressed appreciation for “the flood-season hydrological data and the assistance in emergency management provided by the Chinese side”. Another example is the Indian media’s hype on the Chinese military“incursion”into the disputed areas controlled by India. Both   the Ministry of External Affairs and the Defense Ministry of India made clarifications on this issue. The latest such statement from the Indian side was given by Defense Minister A.K. Antony when he admitted that“no report of Chinese incursion has been received from the government of Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years”during Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie’s visit to India in 2012.

“Guaranteed by the mechanisms”is another stand-out feature of China-India relations. Exchanges between the two countries have been increasingly institutionalized in recent years, and mechanisms for dialogue are being constantly improved. In the political arena there are mechanisms for a regular exchange visits between top leaders and for annual exchange visits between Foreign Ministers, as mentioned before. On the boundary question, in the first place, there are the two Agreements of Confidence Building Measures, designed to assist the two countries to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas. In the second, there was the launch of the Special Representatives mechanism, charged with the boundary negotiation. In the third, there is the conclusion of a new Working Mechanism for timely communication and emergency consultation on issues and situations that may arise in the border areas. So far, the border CBM mechanisms have been the most successful against a backdrop of military confidence being frequently challenged and interrupted during the two countries’simultaneous military modernization. In other words, peace and tranquility in the China-India border region over the last 20 years results mainly from the specific and strict stipulations of the two CBM Agreements. For example, the 1993 Agreement has the following principles: The two sides are of the view that the China-India boundary question shall be resolved through peaceful and friendly consultations. Neither side shall use or threaten to use force against the other by any means. Pending an ultimate solution to the boundary question between the two countries, the two sides shall strictly respect and observe the line of actual control between the two sides. No activities of either side shall overstep the line of actual control. The two sides agree to reduce their military forces along the line of actual control to a minimum level. Neither side will undertake specified levels of military exercises in mutually identified zones. In case of contingencies or other problems arising in the areas along the line of actual control, the two sides shall deal with them through meetings and friendly consultations between border personnel of the two countries. The 1996 Agreement includes even more concrete and detailed Confidence Building Measures in the military arena such as to reduce military forces, to avoid holding large-scale military exercises, and to cope with emergency situations in the border areas. In the field of defense, there are annual Defense Dialogues between the two countries. In the water resources field, the two sides have an Expert-Level consultation mechanism through which they exchange flood-season hydrological data of the trans-border rivers, and cooperate on emergency management. By the end of 2010, as bilateral trade continued to boom, the two sides decided to set up the Strategic and Economic Dialogue mechanism, a forum through which to discuss strategic macro-economic issues, enhance economic cooperation, and deal with problems such as trade imbalances. At the first SED in September 2011, five Working Groups were set up on policy coordination, infrastructure, energy, environmental protection, and high-technology. At the second SED, a number of MoUs were signed on cooperation in various fields such as railway construction, energy efficiency, and information technology.

                                                                               III

Undeniably, China-India relations have not always taken the course of plain sailing, and they may yet encounter rough winds in the future. Their positions on the border issue are still distinct from one another, and an ultimate solution will take time. Their mutual military confidence remains fragile, and both countries are reluctant to relax preparedness because of the long-pending boundary question.“The third party factor”continues to cause trouble to the bilateral relationship. India, for example, is extremely sensitive to the All Weather Strategic Partnership between China and Pakistan, while China keeps a vigilant eye on the direction of the Indo-U.S. strategic tango. There also exist certain less-than-equitable elements in China-India economic relations, and amending the trade imbalance is not an easy task. With their coexistent gaining of strength and simultaneous expansion of interest, China and India will inevitably face new problems and challenges as their interests start to overlap and as competition surfaces. But equally undeniable is the fact that in recent years China-India relations have generally maintained stable and sound development, avoided abrupt fluctuations, and witnessed deepening cooperation. This not only secures a favorable external environment for each others’domestic development, but also contributes to the peace of Asia and the world.

Whether China-India relations can maintain this positive momentum in the future depends upon the following three aspects. First, can China and India stick to the course defined by the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership? This partnership is not so much a reflection of the current bilateral reality as a vision for the two countries to endeavor towards, given that taunting roadblocks such as the border question and the third party factor remain realities. Concerns in some western and India media over the relationship between the two countries are not completely unfounded. However, based on the above analysis, since its introduction in 2005 the Partnership has become a vital driving force in the advancement of China-India relations. The two countries have since been engaged in a range of strategic cooperation, and their Partnership is ever more worthy of the name. Two factors will determine whether China-India relations may stay the course in the future. One, is there going to be any shift of strategic focus for the two countries, i.e. will they continue to take development as the top priority? As long as they believe in the building of a nation through economic development and consider this their primary goal, the two countries will handle their differences particularly that of the boundary issue, with a sober mind. Two, are their relative positions in the international order going to change qualitatively? According to their international statuses, China and India currently belong to the same category or camp. Both are emerging economies and big developing nations. Is the difference in their comprehensive national strength going to converge or diverge? If the difference in their economic strengths becomes more apparent, the weaker side may overreact to any military discrepancy, thus disturbing the holistic assessment of the strength equation. This would then lead to a feeling of“threat".

Second, can China and India persist with the practice of seeking common ground while reserving differences and effectively managing their differences? Strategic cooperation is in fact a mutually readjusting process in which participants find ways to boost common interest and solve disputes and problems. Competing interests between major powers are unavoidable. Historical territorial disputes between neighbors are indeed zero-sum games. For China and India, both of whom are big countries and neighbors with territorial disputes, the key to their strategic cooperation is to effectively insulate the differences from the consensus. The two sides must enhance cooperation in areas of common interest and manage their differences and disputes in an effective way. The steady and sound development of China-India relations in recent years can be attributed to the fundamental principle of “de-linking the border question from cooperation in other fields”. However, as time passes, when talks yield much less than expected and a final resolution remains far from tangible, patience is likely to wear thin and the principle itself could become a target of suspicion. To seek common ground while preserving differences does not mean simply throwing disputes onto the back burner. It means having the proper attitude to take disputes by the nose, as well as the resolve to manage and ultimately solve them. It must be kept in mind that effective management of differences is of special significance when the disputes at hand are time-consuming hard bargains.

Third, are the political leaders of the two countries courageous enough? As shown in the earlier analysis, in recent years China-India relations have benefited enormously from the fact that the two governments, top political leaders included, have taken firm helms in guiding the overall direction as well as public opinion. What has to be pointed out is that despite their different political systems, the decision-making by governments of both sides on the sensitive boundary issue is still largely constrained by public opinion. Any further breakthrough would take much greater political courage and political resolute from both leaders. Whether political leaders are bold enough has something to do not only with the domestic political strength and authorization they enjoy, but also with their strategic vision and sense of historical responsibility. In handling complicated issues such as the China-India border question, it is crucially important that political leaders can jump out of the box of partisan calculations and electoral politics and proceed carefully with a panoramic view of the long-term national interest, the welfare of the two peoples, and peace in the region as a whole.