Apple tried producing Apple iPhones in India, but the Indians are helping Apple to produce Orange iphones instead.
Now, Apple is not the only company getting what it deserves. Japan and China tendered for the construction of high speed rails in India and Japan was selected for the project. But it turned out that the inability to get the contract was in fact a blessing in disguise for the Chinese. Why?
Japan found out the hard way that doing things in India is not as straight forward as they thought. Indians are famous for adding in conditions and varying contracts after they have been signed. In one instance, the Indians varied the conditions in the contract unilaterally, by insisting that the Japanese have to use Indian made steel for the construction, which the Japanese found out to be substandard. Of course someone had to give way eventually. Moreover, the Japanese are going to find plenty of complaints after the completion of the HSR, which is expected from the Indians and compensation will be asked for sure, in order to lower the price.
The other problem the Japanese found out too late was the difficulty of land acquisition from private owners for the rail construction by the Indian Government, which delayed the project and added to the cost. India is a democracy and getting things done is not as simple as in China. Bureaucracy and public opinion matters as Indian voters can be difficult to deal with, and the India Government had been known to have been forced to walk back on policy changes.
The reason China can move so fast and progress so well is the system that made moving forward so easy. There are no voters to hold the Government hostage. What took democratic countries years to move from planning stage to start of construction, the Chinese had probably already finished their projects and moving on. The HSR in Laos is an example, while the Indian HSR is still stuck midway over land rights. India had plans for HSR since the 1980 and not one line is complete with numerous still just under consideration.
Anonymous
"India had plans for HSR since the 1980 and not one line is complete with numerous still just under consideration."
ReplyDeleteIndia is in a dilemma with the HSR.
HSR trains travelling at high speeds will be too hazardous for those sitting on top of carriages or clinging along the edges...to enjoy the view and fresh air.
If the HSR trains travel at normal speeds, those inside the carriages, especially 1st class, business class, premium economy will complain, Why?
Cost of ticket prices will be a problem for Indians using HSR travel. Unless the operator of such HSR is prepared to keep subsidising commuters, which is not sustainable.
ReplyDeleteRight now, train carriages are so crowded, Indians can travel basically free on top of slow moving trains, without great danger, and they are not going to pay an arm and a leg to travel on HSR, definitely not that soon. They can't travel for free on HSR and that is for sure. They will lose their lives trying to.
I think the Indian Government realises the problems, that is why the plans, the papers they were drawn on for HSR, have been left lying around turning yellow with age. The Government is waiting for the population to progress further to afford HSR travel before building more lines.
There is a joke floating around that starting at the same point of an identical project, the Indians take years to even get a project started, while the Chinese have already completed their project and are moving on.
The Indian strategy was to let the Chinese complete their project and thereafter copy it. But more years were needed because the numerous Indian chiefs were jostling to be Big Chief.
DeleteNo problem. India would be a developed country in 2030 according to Modi's plan. By then they would be rich enough to pay for HSR and ride in HSR.
ReplyDeleteAnd in 2030. our SMRT would still be travelling at the high speed of 25kph.
By 2030 there may be so many of them in Singapore, they can ride on the roof of our slow high speed train.
ReplyDeleteWhy would Singapore want HSR? After all, that is going to affect COEs for sure. COE is a money spinner and is even more lucrative than the USA printing fiat money. One piece of paper can bring in hundreds of thousands of S$. Singaporeans can dream that dream and wait long long for HSR.
ReplyDeleteEngineering and technology are not software that can be easily copied.
ReplyDeleteIndia has been trying reverse engineering in automobiles, high speed trains, aircraft and military weapons but have failed miserably. Aircraft carrier still crawling, military aircraft still nothing to show, automobiles, China is flying and going to dominate the world in EVs. High speed train is still struggling while China's high speed trains are all over the world.
ReplyDeleteIndia is trying very hard to compete and overtake China, according to some Indian social media sites. Gloatingly, those sites are claiming that China is toast after COVID opening up and India is fast becoming the next superpower. Everything is gloom and doom about China.
ReplyDeleteNow that the COVID opening up scare that China was supposed to face is subsiding, what else will the Indians and the USA have up their sleeves to put China down? India must not forget the words of Henry Kissinger regarding being a friend of the USA. It could be a fatal mistake wanting to be the next superpower the challenge the Evil Empire.
India can boast about being the biggest democracy in the world. Next, India would have the biggest population in the world to boast about, when it overtakes China.
ReplyDeleteIndia has a lot of things to boast about. India has the most top employees hired by American and western countries, including Singapore.
ReplyDeleteChina can only boast about its own home grown MNCs run by its own talents.
When would the Chinese be stupid enough, like Singapore and the West, to hire Indian talents to take over the running of their MNCs?
Chinese MNCs would not hire Indians. It is basically letting rats into the warehouse to bite at the rice bags and spill the rice, as the Chinese saying goes.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Chinese themselves are doing nicely running their own MNCs. Four Chinese banks are at the very top of the heap today, without Indian talents. Does that not indicate something about the Indian myth?
These are the world rankings of the top 4 universities in India :
Delete1. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay - world rank 497
2. Indian Institute of Technology IIT Kharagpur - world rank 528
3. Indian Institute of Technology IIT Madras - world rank 529
4. Indian Institute of Technology Delhi - world rank 566
Btw, Singapore's NUS - world rank 14 and NTU - world rank 26
It begs the question, has Sg been looking in the wrong place for "talents" ? Or Sg has too many dumbass pap buggers being taken for a ride ?
China's top talents are not popular in the West. So they started their own companies and hired themselves. Some chose to forgot the lucrative pay packages to return to China to serve their Motherland, eg the top Microsoft AI scientist that Bill Gates failed to retain.
ReplyDeleteGates has a policy of not hiring non American citizens for top management. He made an exception for this AI scientist. He was made Executive Vice President and CEO of an AI research subsidiary of Microsoft.
When top talents are retained, it is only good for the country. When top talents are retained by another country, that other country benefits at the expense of the home country of that talent. Is India any different in not moving faster than China? They both started at almost the same level, India leveraging on the service industry doing what the West outsourced to them and providing some of the talents to them, while China betted on manufacturing, with talents all home based. The results are there for all to see.
ReplyDeleteBesides manufacturing, China also betted on electric vehicles early, including essential components like batteries, and solar energy, and had agreements for supply of essential raw materials from many countries.
One area that China was not paying closer attention to was in Chip Manufacturing, thinking that it can always rely on countries like USA, Japan and South Korea. It was a wrong bet. Now China has to do some catching up, but tellingly, it has already succeeded in the area of matured chips, used in most consumer products and electric vehicles. Only in the high end chips is China still lacking. But, as in all other things, they will catch up, using their own talents.
Too bad. Under CECA agreement, probably no choice. Modi might invade Red Dot with his army of infiltrators already here, LOL.
ReplyDeleteThe higher the ranking, the better the university. 497 or 566 is higher than 14 and 26.
ReplyDeleteSo they produced all the top talents. Low ranking 14 and 26 produced no talent. So need to import talents from the higher ranked universities.
When are Singapore Universities going to catch up to rank in the 400s or 500s to produce top talents?
Wait a minute, something is wrong. Can't figure out what is wrong with the rankings.
Those sitting high up in the ivory towers see it differently. Looking down from up there on 497 or 566, they probably see something different from what we see at ground level. Wonder what 497 and 566 look like high up there. Too high up view gets distorted, LOL.
ReplyDeleteToo bad, we cannot go up to the ivory towers to have a look ourselves. Have to take their word for it. So, the bigger the number, the better the rankings seems to be the norm. But then, what the fxxk is the purpose of boasting about our 14 and 26 rankings?
China produces goods for the world. India produces managers for the world.
ReplyDeleteCurrent CEOs - Adobe, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Deloitte, Novartis, Mastercard, Diageo, Wayfair, Micron, NetApp, Palo Alto Networks, Harman International Industries, DBS, Temasek, United Kingdom.
Past CEOs - Pepsi, Vodafone, McKinsey, Citicorp, Twitter
Future CEOs - Starbucks, Youtube, Berkshire Hathaway (?), United States (?)
The world is stupid. It is time for a Chinese CEO.
China as De facto CEO for BRICS plus SA, Iran, N-S Korea...
DeleteMore on China's betting early on industries that have great potential. And China did forged agreements early with countries that have essential minerals to be extracted in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
ReplyDeleteChina thinks years ahead in its choice of industries to prioritise. China already saw the importance of rare earth minerals since 1992, and is today the biggest and most important refiner and supplier of rare earth minerals, which is essential for the military, electric vehicles and other high tech industries.
Of course, rare earth is actually not that rare, and many countries have it in the ground, but refining it is a different thing altogether, and China holds the key in this equation. Other countries are trying to catch up by building refining facilities, but there are many problems to be solved before it can be done. Australia actually did set up a refining facility in Malaysia, causing heavy pollution in waterways and even radioactive substances leaking, causing protest by Malaysians.
Anon 12.46pm Only in the high end chips is China still lacking. But, as in all other things, they will catch up, using their own talents.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct. They have already started. It won’t be long now
Everyone is accused of stealing everything from the USA. But the USA or their forebears stole all the resources from Africa and Latin America, artifacts and art pieces from India and China, and even the whole of the continent of North America from the Native Americans. Who is the biggest thief.
ReplyDeleteWe lie, we cheat and we steal - straight from the horse's mouth. Now who said that?
ReplyDelete