In this business tv show, emerging market experts Chris Runckel, President of Runckel and Associates, Stephen Philips, Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council, Ian Coleman, Partner and Head of Emerging Markets at PricewaterhouseCoopers UK, and Oliver Massmann, Partner at Duane Morris Vietnam LLC, take a look at other dynamic emerging economies, compare their strengths and weaknesses, and discuss why they should definitely be investigated before you make a final decision.
Chris Runckel: Down below China you have Vietnam which is developing very rapidly. It is becoming, in my estimations a much more level playing field, much quicker than China has become. It’s more transparent, easier for western companies to understand but it also has its negatives as well. Infrastructure is not what it could be, communications infrastructure still has a long way to go. Intellectual properties are not as well protected as it could be but it significantly better than in China.
To the west of that you have Thailand which is progressing very rapidly, very good infrastructure, and labour costs higher but very good predictable legal system. Government has had its trouble but really that has not affected business to this point in time so really it could be a good platform for some industries although if they’re low labour industries it’s not so good.
Ian Coleman: You might also want to contrast Russia and the Gulf. Both got lots of oil, both generating very significant foreign reserve and if one looks at the way in which that agenda is playing out its usually different. In the Middle East you have much of that wealth concentrated in an effort to diversify wealth into off trophy assets in developed markets. In Russia may of the businesses are looking for capital, not with standing that they’ve got huge foreign reserves that they’ve built up since the ‘97 crisis. That isn’t being recycled into domestic investment and they’re still looking to make Western investment markets, perhaps less so New ...
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