1. Prudential perception on capability differentials of the target people in the poverty segment
2. Adoption of ‘Equity’ principles for candid inclusiveness in the battlefield
3. Strategic product planning tailored to the needs of the target group and to area potential
4. No first use of silver bullet ‘micro credit’ in the process of graduation of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people (ultra poor )
5. Sequestered micro credit is like forbidden apple and one should not be succumbed to temptation for conspicuous consumption. Saving led approach is ideal for the bottom pyramid
6. Value addition to micro credit by integrating with adequate financial and non financial supporting services to regain its inherent potential for serving the poorest
7. Welding the MF tools together (integrated product) for multiple attack on various social contingencies forcing poverty ratchets at poor man’s household level.
8. Moving towards local indigenous participatory financial system for sustaining ‘self help’, ‘self reliance’ , ‘self esteem’, ‘self satisfaction’ at the end of the battle
9. Collective endeavor for mutual benefit :nurturing with the motive for sailing together for sharing gain and sacrifices equally without sinking together – Group approach
10. Ensuring ethically coded customer protection to the poor target group without dropping out in their growth trajectory.

Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Hu Jintao in China in 2011 as they celebrate rising two-way trade. (Photo: Roberto Stuckert Filho/PR)

HONG KONG (Reuters) – The world’s top iron ore exporter, Brazil’s Vale, is not excluding Chinese shipowners from transporting its iron ore and remains open to selling its huge dry bulk carriers to them, industry officials said.

A senior Vale official met the China Shipowners’ Association on Friday to smooth relations after Chinese industry officials said the miner stopped hiring vessels from some firms in retaliation for Beijing’s ban on its ships.

Chinese shipowners convinced Beijing in January to block the world’s biggest dry bulk ships from entering Vale’s top market due to concerns over safety and the vessels’ potential impact on loss-making domestic shipping companies.

Click here to access the full article direct from the Manila Bulletin

China Construction Bank Acquires WestLB’s Brazil Assets-Report - WSJ

SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)–China Construction Bank Corp. (CICHY, 0939.HK, 601939.SH), one of China’s biggest banks, acquired the Brazilian assets of German bank WestLB AG for an undisclosed amount, local newspaper Valor Economico reported Friday.

The Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual advised China Construction Bank on the deal, according to the newspaper, which didn’t disclose its sources.

Click here to access the full article direct from the WSJ

Brazil’s Vale Loses to Australia as Mine Laws Curb Market Share - Bloomberg Business Week

Vale SA (VALE5), the world’s largest iron-ore producer, is poised to lose market share to Australian rivals Rio Tinto Group (RIO) and BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP) as Brazil imposes stricter environmental rules on new mining projects and labor costs soar.

Brazil’s share of the seaborne iron-ore market may sink to 27 percent by 2016, down from 31 percent now, as the country boosts capacity by 188 million tons, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Australia will probably add about 502 million tons, taking its market share to 50 percent from 41 percent.

Click here to access the full article direct from Bloomberg Businessweek

China buyers of Brazilian Iron Ore defer raw material cargos - FT

Vale SA (VALE5), the world’s largest iron-ore producer, is poised to lose market share to Australian rivals Rio Tinto Group (RIO) and BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP) as Brazil imposes stricter environmental rules on new mining projects and labor costs soar.

Brazil’s share of the seaborne iron-ore market may sink to 27 percent by 2016, down from 31 percent now, as the country boosts capacity by 188 million tons, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Australia will probably add about 502 million tons, taking its market share to 50 percent from 41 percent.

Click here to access the full article direct from the FT

FYI — This Chinese Tycoon Mr. Zhang Yue is insane…

• This building was supposed to be completed in 24 hours but due to last minute unforeseen events like the weather it took about a week. Not bad all in all…
• This building supposedly should only use 1/5 of the energy of the average building in the area.
• In addition to noble projects like this one in the Reuters video, near his company headquarters he’s also built a model replica of the French Palace of Versailles, statue of Napoleon and the Egyptian Pyramids.

Two commodities however, seem poised to buck this trend, as Bloomberg reports in these two separate pieces on lead and soybeans.

You can click the article titles or the links below the excerpts posted here to read each respective report in its entirety.

Lead Shortage Looms in ’13 on Record Demand for Batteries - Bloomberg

Lead is poised to rally after erasing this year’s gains with the market returning to shortages following a five-year glut as miners fail to keep pace with record demand for batteries.

Stockpiles monitored by the London Metal Exchange dropped 7.6 percent from the all-time high reached in October. Demand will exceed supply by 150,000 metric tons next year, equal to about six months of U.S. mine production, Macquarie Group Ltd. estimates. Prices will average $2,273 a ton in the fourth quarter, 13 percent more than now, according to the median of 18 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Click here to access the full article direct from Bloomberg

Soybeans Rise From Six-Week Low as Biggest Growers’ Exports Gain - Bloomberg

Soybeans rebounded from a six-week low as export sales from the U.S. and Brazil climbed, draining supply in the world’s two largest growers.

The amount of soybeans inspected for U.S. export almost doubled in the week to May 10 to 20.3 million bushels from the prior seven days, the Department of Agriculture said yesterday. In Brazil, growers had sold 83 percent of the harvest as of May 11, up from 63 percent a year ago, according to researcher Celeres.

Click here to access the full article direct from Bloomberg

Viaje lo llevó a Japón y Corea del Sur.

El presidente de la República, Ollanta Humala, concluyó hoy su gira oficial por el continente asiático y se encuentra viajando de retorno a Perú.

El jefe de Estado y su comitiva despegaron en el avión presidencial peruano hoy desde Yeosu (Corea del Sur), confirmó a la agencia, la delegación de Perú en la Expo 2012.

Allí, el mandatario inauguró a primera hora el pabellón peruano, que definió como “un espacio de reflexión y de respeto al mar y al agua en general” en sintonía con el tema central de la Expo, que es la conservación global de los océanos y los recursos marinos.

Durante los cinco días de su gira, la primera que realiza por Asia desde su nombramiento, Humala ha mantenido reuniones con el presidente surcoreano, Lee Myung-bak, y con el primer ministro nipón Yoshihiko Noda, en los que se ha reforzado la cooperación mutua en varias materias.

García Belaunde: “El futuro del Perú pasa por el Asia Pacífico” de El Comercio

El ex canciller sostuvo que apostar por mercados como Japón y Corea del Sur es clave ante la crisis económica europea

El futuro del Perú y del mundo pasa hoy por la zona Asia Pacífico, y el Gobierno hace bien en profundizar su presencia en esa importante área económica para buscar nuevos mercados y mayores inversiones, opinó hoy el excanciller José Antonio García Belaunde.

En un contexto de crisis internacional que afecta a la zona europea, sostuvo apostar por importantes mercados asiáticos como Japón y Corea del Sur es clave para asegurar la continuidad del crecimiento económico del país.

Perú y Corea pueden ser el puente que una Latinoamérica y Asia de Andina.com

Seúl, may. 11 (ANDINA). Perú y Corea del Sur pueden convertirse en el puente que una a Latinoamérica y Asia, mediante el establecimiento de rutas aerocomerciales de carga y de pasajeros entre Lima y Seúl, estimó hoy el presidente Ollanta Humala.

Señaló que promover esa ruta ha sido uno de los objetivos de su visita de Estado a Seúl.

“Dentro de mi preocupación, como gobierno, está promover, invitar y conversar con empresas coreanas para cubrir una línea comercial de transporte de pasajeros y de carga, que permita crear ese puente que debe haber entre Asia y Latinoamérica, a través de Perú y de Corea”, declaró a periodistas.

Ese sería un negocio rentable, añadió durante su exposición ante empresarios coreanos sobre el potencial de inversiones que existe en Perú.

Está previsto actualmente el ingreso de la aerolínea Korean Air a Perú, inicialmente por carga, y su eventual ampliación al transporte de pasajeros incrementará el flujo turístico al país andino, según la Cámara Nacional de Turismo (Canatur).

Incredible.

A region of the world full of small and large countries with unique and distinct cultures & systems of governance were able to come together as a “region,” and negotiate with economic & political powers such as China, Japan and South Korea… AND COME TO AN AGREEMENT. .

Part of this petition to is get people to realize the Americas (from Canada down to Argentina), should be more than capable of creating the foundations of acting together as a region, and spreading prosperity from our plentiful lands and resources.

Sign this petition, because you can’t leave a country like Cuba out of dialogue & exchange in the Americas for archaic reasons dating to the cold war. It’s not fair when we see success elsewhere in ASEAN between countries of very mixed backgrounds…

Click here to more about this development from CNBC

You can sign / review this petition by click here.

Author, creator, web master, and manager of ChinaSouthAmerica.com

With all the news coverage of the recent Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia focusing on the CIA’s love of prostitutes it’s a tragedy the issues of the summit aren’t being covered – namely how every nation in the Western Hemisphere, except for the US and Canada expressed their desire to invite Cuba to the summit which the US/ Canada would hear nothing of. Both emphasizing that in order to participate in the summit, or any regional club within the “Americas,” a country must be a Democracy.

Consider this in the context of how the US acts and willingly desires to participate in ASEAN summits of SE Asian nations. All this talk from the Obama Administration and Republican Candidates about the strategic importance of Asia/ the Pacific on the surface makes it an easy story to sell by the media. ASEAN is a club of nations with extreme strategic importance for the US in Asia, and a means in which to protect US interests in the region and check China’s rising influence.

Let me remind the world (readers of this article/ website), ASEAN includes countries such as:

Vietnam – A Communist Country
Laos – A Communist Country
Cambodia – An Absolute Monarchy (arguably in transition to a Constitutional Monarchy or Democracy)
Brunei – An Absolute Monarchy

So it’s okay to talk, trade, forge geo-political and military ties with nations in this group in ASIA… but when we talk about the “Americas,” (North and South America), the same standards don’t apply? Why do we listen, give attention and forge ties with these nations mentioned above that are not “Democracies,” and thereafter shut the door on Cuba? Perhaps it has something to do with the wealthy Cuban Lobbyists’ in Miami…

Food for thought, although unfortunately it is a topic no major media outlet around the world feels is worthy to address, question and bring to people’s attention.

~ Bennett A. Reiss Iberico

The Multiple Realities of Latin America – The Latin Business Chronicle

Latin America as a uniform structure can become a delusion for those who have to make regional business decisions.

BY DARIO CUTIN

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — The public and private dialogues during the 2012 edition of the World Economic Forum for Latin America have served as a reminder of the fact that considering Latin America as a homogenous region or market is a mistake that can have a negative impact in the organizational, business and communications planning process.

The more the leaders know about the region, the more they agree that this area of the world is not a block nor does it act as if it will become one. It is rather a theoretical aggregate of multiple realities and complexities that have common roots and characteristics, but also many nuances that differentiate one country and market from another.

This region has deep cultural connections – and only to some extent geopolitical and economic similarities – but it also has a diversity that is impossible to understand by reviewing a spreadsheet or looking through a computer window. The only way to comprehend this region is talking and expending time with its leaders and their people, which are essential ways to understand where their priorities and concerns are common or different.

Since many countries have Spanish as their official language, it is tempting for newcomers to perceive that everything is relatively the same in Latin America… Over time, however, they can recognize that not even language escapes from the differences in each corner of the region.

In regards to the economy, between markets that are emerging, submerged or in the emergency room, the differences are even more accentuated. For instance, the size of Mexico and Brazil makes those two countries impossible to compare with the rest of the region. This situation calls for objectives views while preparing plans for Latin America: it is difficult for regional business or communications leaders to perceive, remember and consider the nuances in the region if they are based on the two largest economies of the region. Otherwise, distance is necessary and indispensable to ensure a general view to consider commonalities and differences within the region.

From a communications perspective, if we had to name the most relevant common characteristic throughout the region, that should be the openness and interest in in-person and small group dialogues. Latin Americans are always eager to talk and exchange ideas. Consequently, organizations must allocate the resources and time needed to develop solid and credible spokespeople to serve as messengers during in person, live conversations.

Along these lines, one highlight of the Forum this year in Mexico is the absence of many private or public sector leaders from several countries, who did not join the conversation to help establish the common ground of priorities for the region, as well to communicate the nuances between the neighbors for the common good. The absence of those senior leaders creates a communication gap that will be perceived, regionally and locally, as a lack of interest and avoidance of business and communications responsibilities.

REGIONAL OR LOCAL COMMUNICATIONS?

A question came up frequently while speaking with many leaders in recent days about the multiple realities of Latin America: if there are so many differences between the key markets, do we need regional communication plans?

I firmly believe that regional communications plans are necessary and worthwhile because they allow organizations to have a consistent, coherent and effective message to support their business plans. However, these plans should include processes and tools to ensure that regional initiatives are leveraged, adapted, customized and even supplemented with local tactics that address the realities, priorities, special circumstances, needs and characteristics of each country or market.

Those regional plans must have a long term approach. They should avoid “easy” solutions, because strategic communications require time, professionalism, personal dedication and reasonable resources over time. Moreover, they call for orchestrated efforts instead of spontaneous and brief attempts to “do some magic,” have a smart, isolated “spin,” or “create some buzz.”

Despite that various leaders don’t like it, building the image and reputation of an organization takes a long term, meaningful and disciplined approach, with the direct involvement of the leaders themselves. It is impossible to establish a good reputation in an impersonal or isolated manner, and it certainly can’t be nurtured in two days or one month… conversely, it can be destroyed pretty quickly if not protected… locally and regionally.

Dario Cutin is Partner and Managing Director, Client Services Latin America, Fleishman-Hillard.

Better Education Quality Needed

Formal education and skills aren’t connecting in Latin America.

BY GABRIEL SANCHEZ ZINNY

Education advocates in Latin America have long pushed for expanded access for all students. Indeed, access has improved, with secondary school completion rates climbing from 30 to 50 percent over the past two decades. However, there is a growing realization that greater access alone will do little good without higher quality.

Business leaders, in particular, have argued that there is a profound disconnect between what schools are teaching and what is actually required for a worker to succeed in a globalized, innovation-driven, and knowledge-based modern economy. “There are very talented people in the region. All they need is a chance to develop,” says Felipe Vergara, co-founder of Lumni, a company that invests in students’ education in exchange for a fixed portion of the income they will go on to receive with their improved career path.

Click here to read the complete article direct from the Latin Business Chronicle

What’s Watt’s Doing In China?

A Chilean dairy company finds success in China.

BY RUTH MORRIS

SHANGHAI– It’s never been a problem for Chile to sell copper to China. The Chinese came knocking, hungry for the metal to wire new cities and factories as the Chinese economy hit full steam. Copper accounts for roughly 85 percent of Chile’s export sales to the Asian giant.

Knocking on China’s door is another story… and one Juan José Vidal knows well.

As the Asia business manager for Watt’s S.A., one of Chile’s leading food companies, it’s his job to bring an array of jams, juices, cheese and baby formula to the Middle Kingdom and beyond. The company’s products hit Chinese grocery stores three years ago.

Click here to read the complete article direct from the Latin Business Chronicle

Argentina: Back to the Future

Argentina’s expropriation of YPF defies all logic.

BY JERRY HAAR

The well-received 1985 movie “Back to the Future” was followed by two sequels. The fourth sequel is currently playing in Argentina—not on the big screen but in the political economy of that nation. This nation of 40 million has once more slid back into an imbecilic morass of demagoguery, authoritarianism, mindless statism and self-destructiveness. Don’t cry for Argentina; this toxic elixir was 100 percent brewed and imbibed by the political class in that nation.

In a move that defies all logic, President Cristina Fernandez has renationalized YPF, the nation’s largest oil company, booting out Repsol as majority shareholder. The biggest natural resources renationalization since the Russian government took control of Yukos oil a decade ago, President Fernandez’s claim that the renationalization was done due to YPF’s failure to invest in the oil sector simply does not wash. YPF has had every right to repatriate profits and dividends to its Spanish majority shareholders. It is the Argentine government’s failed energy policy and setting of domestic prices far below international levels that are the true culprits here. Cristina’s vehement assertion that “I am a head of state and not a hoodlum” is akin to Richard Nixon’s assertion: “I’m not a crook.”

Click here to read the complete article direct from the Latin Business Chronicle