Frightened by a dragon, India shies away from Taiwan

MD Nalapat The National
Last Updated: June 27. 2010 8:50PM UAE / June 27. 2010 4:50PM GMT
The two Asian giants may share a 4,250-kilometre border and trade goods and services in excess of $60 billion every year, but when it comes to slights – perceived and otherwise – Beijing’s memory is elephantine.

India has given sanctuary to the Dalai Lama since 1959 and harbours more than 130,000 Tibetan refugees. In return, China has helped India’s rival Pakistan acquire nuclear weapons and missile systems. It helped block India’s membership in the UN Security Council and fought to the last minute in 2008 to prevent the lifting of restrictions on nuclear trade with India.

It is no wonder then that while there has been only one war between the two nations in 4,000 years (China soundly defeated India in 1962), relations between the two countries have been cool, if not frigid. Beijing believes in an eye-for-an-eye, preferably two – a penchant that drives the hand-wringing, naturally timid Indian establishment slightly crazy.

Nowhere is that fear more evident than in relations between India and Taiwan, a small island that nonetheless boasts an economy more than a third of the size of India, with foreign-exchange reserves double the size of New Delhi’s, at about $400 billion.
Frightened by a dragon, India shies away from Taiwan
China Trade Pact Draws Taiwan Into Economic Embrace June 28, 2010, 9:06 PM EDT By Frederik Balfour

India- China: Enduring Links

Balancing India and China
Among the most encouraging recent developments in India China Economy and India-China ties is the rapid increase in bilateral trade. A few years ago, India Inc had a fear of being swamped by Chinese imports. Today, India enjoys a positive balance of trade with China. But major industry players in India feel there is no need to give the Chinese a free ride into the domestic market so early. This is particularly, when India and China have been directly competing across several product categories. And that too, when both the applied and bound import tariffs are higher in India compared with China. Indian industry's ambivalence over the proposed Indo-China FTA stems from concerns over previous FTAs signed by the government. There's a feeling that some of these FTAs were signed in haste, and without adequate homework. Result: There has been confusion about the country of origin issue as well as the items to be put in the early harvest lists.
Balancing India and China

Competition will Continue
Energy has been a source of both cooperation and competition between China and India in recent years. They are two of the world's fastest growing energy consumers, with China importing about 40 percent of its energy needs and India 70 percent. China has consistently outbid India in the fight for energy sources. These bidding wars have inflated prices for energy assets, prompting the two sides to agree to joint bidding in third countries. To this end, they signed a "Memorandum for Enhancing Cooperation in the Field of Oil and Natural Gas" in January.

Their energy competition is also reflected in their assertions of naval power. As India reaches into the Malacca Straits, Beijing is creating a "string of pearls" surrounding India by developing strategic port facilities in Sittwe (Burma), Chittagong (Bangladesh), and Gwadar (Pakistan) to protect sea lanes and ensure uninterrupted energy supplies. India is wary of China's efforts to engage its South Asian neighbors in military and economic matters. Some Indian analysts believe that China is pursuing a two-pronged strategy of lulling India into complacency with greater economic interaction while taking steps to encircle India and undermine its security.
Competition will Continue
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Careers at Sea and in Shipping

A sea career offers early responsibility, a challenging job with good prospects and an opportunity to acquire qualifications that are internationally recognized and transferable. It is possible to achieve senior rank at an early age, to earn a decent salary while enjoying world travel, and experience the sea in all its moods.

Shipping is increasingly specialized and there are great differences between the operations of different types of ship and their patterns of trade. The operation of a Very Large Crude Carrie (VLCC) is very different from life on a short sea container ship, a cruise ship or ferry. Nevertheless the huge variety of different trades must surely be an attraction in itself.

There are however, certain common characteristics that the person seeking a sea career ought to have. A ship is a small society, and the successful seafarer needs to have patience, tolerance and rub along harmoniously with people of different cultures. A disciplined approach to life and a degree of self sufficiency will be an advantage.

Ships’ officers are usually trained as cadets and undertake a blend of college and at-sea training, with a number of statutory examinations as they progress through the ranks. It is usual to specialize as a deck officer, responsible for navigation and cargo, or as a marine engineer officer, responsible for the ship’s technical systems, although it is now possible to train for dual deck/engineroom licenses. Ratings (non officer class) are usually general purpose trained and work either on deck or in the engineroom. There is a range of specialized training available for particular ship types such as tankers, or gas ships.

From the cadetship, a young officer progresses into a junior officers’ post either as a watch-keeping deck officer or a junior engineer, after more study and sea time there will be opportunities for promotion to senior officers positions and eventually to a job as master or chief engineer, highly responsible and challenging roles.

But the sea career offers further opportunities into a whole range of associated marine industry careers ashore in what is described as the “maritime infrastructure” that supports the ships at sea and provides services to the industry. Superintendency, ship management, technical operations, port management, surveying, marine education, pilotage, marine equipment, hydrography, marine safety and regulation are just some of the further careers available to sea-trained officers.

Some people are perfectly happy to spend their whole career at sea, valuing the longer leaves that are compensation for time at sea, but not infrequently an officer will elect to move from the sea into one of the these associated professions.

The shipping industry itself offers other careers for people who prefer to follow a commercial path, moving into ship broking or marine insurance, working ashore in shipping companies or agents. Ashore or afloat, the marine professional does an essential job, which can be fulfilling and very interesting.

Kind Courtesy Capt RN Gulati, Pune