INDIA

The U.S. Senate on 4 December approved by unanimous consent the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018, which reflects the upper chamber’s interest in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to authorising bi-lateral and multi-lateral trade negotiations with Indo-Pacific nations, the legislation would encourage a robust U.S. commercial presence throughout the Indo-Pacific region to promote U.S. exports and additional trade facilitation efforts. More

India’s retail landscape has been subject to the disruptive forces of e-commerce in recent years, with the emergence of e-tailers posing big challenges to brick-and-mortar retailers. While the eyewear market in India has also been similarly affected, retailers in the organised sector are getting increasingly inclined to pursue an online-offline strategy, while the unorganised sector continues to place their attention on rendering personalised, professional services to neighbourhood customers. More

India is considered a difficult market despite the improving ease of doing business there in recent years. However, Hong Kong companies should explore the emerging business opportunities in India, including the possibilities of tapping into the country’s e-commerce boom via cross-border marketplaces. One such marketplace has been jointly launched by Hong Kong’s BFMe and India’s DTDC. More

India was Hong Kong’s third largest export market in 2017 and its fourth largest market for electronics and electrical parts. But with India determined to strengthen its electronic clusters and boost domestic production via its Phased Manufacturing Programme, hoping to bring down electronic imports to a net level of zero by 2020, this will have an impact on Hong Kong suppliers of affected items. More