March 2021 – Into India

Adani group transforms from coal empire to infrastructure, renewables and data

Gautam Adani is transforming his business

After spending two decades building a business empire centred on coal, Indian billionaire Gautam Adani is now looking at a different future. His ambitious plans are getting a boost from close friend Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Adani is diversifying into airports, data centres and defence – sectors Mr Modi considers crucial to meeting India’s economic goals. Investors are rewarding the pivot.

In less than two years, Mr Adani has gained control of seven airports and almost a quarter of India’s air traffic.

Adani will boost his renewable energy capacity almost eightfold by 2025.

Last week, he won a contract to co-develop a port terminal in Sri Lanka, a neighbour India is courting to check China’s influence in the region.

Adani Enterprises last month signed a deal with Edge- ConneX to develop and operate data centres across India.

After starting out as a commodities trader in the late 1980s, Mr Adani is now India’s second-wealthiest person, with a net worth of US$56 billion. He has added US$50 billion to his fortune in the past year, about US$5 billion more than Mr Ambani, Asia’s richest man, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

USA coming to terms with India’s “longstanding relationship with Russia”

India’s decision to purchase S-400 missile systems from Russia sparked debate in the USA

INTO INDIA has often reminded readers that India has a close and long relationship with Russia – and is capable of being friends with both sides of international disputes.

Now they’re talking about this in the US.

Here’s what Admiral John Aquilino said during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday to be the next commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command or INDOPACOM: “The United States needs to understand that India has had a longstanding relationship with the Russians for security cooperation and military equipment.”

“India is really a terrific partner and as we’ve seen from the recent Quad discussions, I think the importance of India and the rest of the nations in the Quad will increase. We’re at a balance. However, India has had a longstanding relationship with the Russians for security cooperation and for military equipment,” he said.

Let’s hope the USA can also move away from the “goodies and baddies” approach to international affairs and see that it is possible to sustain healthy connections with apparently competing countries and ideologies.

Global “Indo-Pacific” strategies appear to target China

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Global “Indo-Pacific” strategies appear to target China

Here is a selected list of recent initiatives that might be designed to contain China:

The British Government is about to announce a foreign and defence policy review with the “new big idea” of a focus on the Indo-Pacific

The new UK aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and accompanying fleet will deploy in May on a maiden voyage to the Indian Ocean coordinated with the US

On the flight deck will be a squadron of F35 jets from the US Marine Corps, showing UK and US cooperation

The UK mission looks very much like a strike force, including two Type 45 destroyers, an Astute Submarine and two Type 43s

At the same time the recent QUAD (Japan, India, Australia, USA) meeting was the first attended by all four leaders and was strong on a free and open Indo-Pacific

India, Australia and Japan have an active working party examining supply chain security (code for not buying everything from China)

Many foreign ministries from France to Germany have recently produced Indo-Pacific strategies

Former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer recently said “The single most geopolitical issue in the world today is the rise of China”

Downer went much further in his comments: “This is an issue of war and peace.”

Meanwhile Australia is in the 10th month of a trade war with Beijing

France and Germany are also deploying large warships to the region this year

The UK also wants to turn the G7 into an alliance of 10 democracies by inviting South Korea, India and Australia – yet another concern for China

The Indo-Pacific packs some punch – it now accounts for close to half of global economic output and more than half the world’s population: it contains the world’s two most populous nations, China and India; the world’s second and third largest economies, China and Japan; the world’s largest democracy, India.

Add these up – and draw your own conclusions. What do you think?

Is the QUAD becoming more like NATO?

The QUAD meeting in March was the first where all four national leaders attended – signalling a new higher level for the group which is India, Australia, Japan and the USA.

China will see this meeting as “containing China”, an attitude likely to harden stances between China and the countries of the region. Although it is far from being another NATO, there is no doubt this meeting moved the QUAD in that direction.

Since its creation in 2004, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has striven to be a loose cooperation and has tried not to become an overtly security group along the lines of NATO. It is a fine line to tread, as the increasing focus of the QUAD has been China.

Although the word “China” does not appear in the recent statement, all the language points to it – promote free, open rules based order, international law, counter threats, freedom of navigation and overflight, democratic values and meet challenges to the rules based maritime order in the East and South China Sea.

The US did not hold back in its language – US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who sat in on the summit, declared “these four leaders made a massive joint commitment today”.

“We have taken the Quad to a new level,” Mr Sullivan said from the White House.

Yet the QUAD partners have diverse perspectives and perhaps very different reasons for coming together. Certainly, Chinese belligerence has been a big motivation.

Australia has been bruised and somewhat taken by surprise by the recent Chinese trade war which has seen massive decline in Australian products in China – at the same time as Covid has hit the high paying international education market from China. When Prime Minister Morrison went public and alone in calling for an inquiry into the Chinese origins of Covid19, the diplomatic lines of the two countries went blank and the trade war “punishment” from China rolled out – the two countries have not been speaking for some time.

India on the other hand has close commercial and personal (leaders) ties with Japan, plus it has experienced border clashes with China in the Himalayan region.

For India and Australia, the meeting adds to their increasing close relationship with Japan, boosted by recently creating a three-country working group to improve supply chain collaboration. Further bad news for China.

In another step up, the Foreign Ministers will meet at least once a year.

It’s all about – in the QUAD’s own words – “leveraging our partnership to help the world’s most dynamic region respond to historic crisis, so that it may be the free, open, accessible, diverse, and thriving Indo-Pacific we all seek.”

China will not like what it has seen from this meeting.

China’s “close the doors” diplomacy (as seen with India and Australia) and punitive actions have certainly added urgency to the QUAD dialogue and might in the end be regretted in Beijing. But of course, how would we know? When the doors are closed, there is no diplomacy or discussion with China.

Why is the Indian American diaspora so successful and now influential in the US?

The power of India in the US. People hold placards of Kamala Harris, as she prepares to take her oath as vice-president of America, at her ancestoral village in Thulasendrapuram.

Migrants from India are the most successful migrant group in the USA and now they are becoming influential and leading in politics. Even President Joe Biden recently quipped that “Indian Americans are taking over the country”.

These Indian Americans have played a “stellar role” in education, technology and entrepreneurship. Now public administration and politics.

Companies in the US headed up by Indian American CEO’s right now include Google, Microsoft, Albertsons, Micron Technology, Mastercard and Adobe Inc.

Biden should feel close to the Indian migrants – his speech writer (Vinay Reddy), Vice President (Kamala Harris) and the leadership of NASA’s Mars Mission (Swati Mohan) all have Indian heritage. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Indians are a small migrant group – around 3.8 million migrated making up 1.2 per cent of the US population.

But this diaspora is the richest, most educated and among the most successful ethnic groups in the USA.

Why?

Indian entrepreneurial drive makes them unique among migrants

The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine of the US in its report titled The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration had said in 2015-16 that “Indian immigrants are the most entrepreneurial of any group including natives, and immigrant businesses represent more than a quarter of businesses in the transportation, accommodation, and recreation and entertainment sectors.”

Indians have chased better education

According to Pew Research Center data from September 2017, about 32 per cent of Indian Americans have a bachelor’s degree and 40 per cent are post-graduates. The comparable figures for all Asian Americans are 30 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively. If all Americans are considered, Indians stand out even more as only 19 per cent of Americans have undergraduate degrees and 11 per cent have post-graduate education.

Indians make more money

The Indian community in the US earn a lot more than all other ethnic groups, white Americans included. A recent survey by Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development found that the average income of Indian American families is $120,000, compared to the overall US average of $88,000.

So, why are Indians the most successful?

A recent book titled The Other One Percent: Indians in America bySanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh found some answers.

Singh hypothesises that “There is no ‘secret sauce’. There are no peculiarly Indian cultural traits (that make Indian Americans more successful than others)…. They came very carefully selected. They were not coming from poverty. The simplest policy prescription may be this: Make sure everyone has access to education,” he told the media.

The immigration of Indian Americans really began in 1965 when the US lifted caps it had placed on immigrants from some countries. Since then, the visa process has favoured the entry of mostly upper class, educated Indians, their close relatives, students with very high scores and skilled workers.

Summarising why Indians succeed in America

They are a migrant group with access to educational resources and having a stable financial background. Without these two, migrants generally stay at lower levels of income and influence.

You have not seen the best yet!

80 per cent of second-generation Indian Americans are under the age of 25 years. This means their political influence and commercial success is likely to grow further in the years and decades to come. The Indian American population is expected to almost double to 2 per cent of the US population by 2030. They are mostly concentrated in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, California and Texas.

Indians now standing out in public service

President Biden has appointed significant numbers of Indian Americans to his team – Uzra Zeya, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, State Department; Mala Adiga, Policy Director to Dr Jill Biden; Aisha Shah, Partnership Manager, White House Office of Digital Strategy; Sameera Fazili, Deputy Director, US National Economic Council (NEC); Sumona Guha: Senior Director for South Asia at the National Security Council, White House; and Sabrina Singh: Deputy Press Secretary, Vice President White House.

In addition, two Indian Americans, Nikki Haley and Bobby Jindal, have already ruled states such as Louisiana and South Carolina as governors.

The story of Indian Americans is amazing right now – and will continue to grow.

Deakin University shows how to attract Indian students in the Covid era

Iain Martin, President and Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University

Australia is a leading destination for Indian students going overseas for education – and Deakin University has been a pioneer and leader in building a strong presence in the Indian market.

The coronavirus outbreak has impacted plans for many. However, some universities have started offering scholarships and fee cuts to attract Indians.

Iain Martin, President and Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University spoke to Careers360 about the impact and the measures taken.

Q. How many Indian students have applied to Deakin in 2020? Has COVID-19 impacted the admissions?

A. Over the three intakes in 2020, over 8,500 applications have been received from Indian students. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact, especially with the closed borders prohibiting international students to travel. However, we are working very closely with our Indian partners and networks on innovative opportunities for students to begin their studies online and transition to on-campus study once travel restrictions ease. Deakin is a leader in digital education and we are well-positioned to offer our international students an excellent experience.

Q. Is Deakin offering financial sup-port to Indian students?

A. Deakin University is offering a 30 percent bursary to all Indian students enrolling during these times. Deakin has also awarded 100 percent meritorious scholarships to four deserving Indian students who will be commencing studies in November 2020.

Q. How is Deakin working on blended learning?

A. The university is offering students the opportunity to start their studies online at home through Deakin’s innovative Cloud Campus and then transfer on-campus once the borders are open for travel. Deakin has an inclusive and student-focused culture and a reputation for using innovative digital solutions to provide an engaging and personalised learning experience. One of the benefits of joining a huge online community is the incredible support students get every step of the way.

Students are able to connect with Deakin’s teachers, study mentors, student success coaches and tutors whenever they need to so that they never lose momentum on the way to achieving their study goals. Our dedicated IT support staff are available out-side regular hours, plus you can access our online library 24/7.

Q. What are the challenges and opportunities for international universities in India with the introduction of New Education Policy 2020? Is Deakin planning to set-up a cam-pus in India?

A. The NEP 2020 provides an exciting opportunity for international universities to facilitate ‘knowledge exchange’ with India. The National Education Policy 2020 allowing international education providers to come to India is a step ahead in developing its higher education ecosystem. It will definitely assist in fostering the ‘study in India’ campaign of the Indian government.

The challenges will be clear once we understand the modalities and implementation of these opportunities. Deakin has been engaging in India over the last 26 years and continues its future-focused journey of “in India, with India, for India”. The National Education Policy 2020 has helped propel our strategic vision in this new normal and we will continue to work with our existing partnerships through hybrid models of engagement including digital and face-to-face learning environments.

Thanks to Careers 360 for this information.

https://news.careers360.com/deakin-university-covid-plan-blended-learning-and-scholarships

Thanks also to Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President Global and CEO India for Deakin University.

You’ve gotta love Jacob’s Creek wines – consumers in India are loving it!

Despite a tariff as high as 150% plus state taxes, Australia’s Jacob’s Creek is a standout leader in the imported wine market of India. This Aussie winemaker is owned by global giant Pernod Ricard.

Here are some stunning statistics – imported wine accounts for 40% of wines sales in India. 70% of that 40% is Jacob’s Creek. This means Jacob’s Creek accounts for over 20% of the wine market in India.

Another stat – every year 19 million Indians reach legal drinking age.

Wine is mainly an urban success story in India, with three cities dominating the consumption – Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Apparently women are driving demand for wine – while men stick to whiskey and beer, women have become major consumers of red wine.

Jacob’s Creek has succeeded despite stiff competition from local winemakers, including Sula and Fratelli.

In the context of exporters urgently seeking alternatives to China, Jacob’s Creek is a success story that should be studied by those seeking to succeed in India.

Now – about those tariffs. Australia needs a coordinated campaign to get some relief for wine. This campaign needs to encompass governments, industry and culture/education. My advice – don’t go head-on against the tariff. Subtle approaches are best. Work out what we can offer India and how some reduction in tariff therefore becomes mutually beneficial.