Ethiopia
(Source : Embassy of India, Addis Ababa)
Japan-India Business Networking Cocktails Reception: Embassy of Japan and JETRO Addis Ababa organized a Japan-India Business Networking Cocktails Reception between the Japanese business delegation and India Business Forum (IBF) members on 15th June at Hilton Hotel in collaboration with the Embassy of India. JETRO Mission headed by JETRO Executive Vice President, Mr. Hirano and comprising representatives from 30 Japanese companies visited Ethiopia from 14-17 June 2017. During their visit, JETRO organized a face-to-face informal networking cocktail reception between the Japanese business delegation and India Business Forum (IBF) members. Thirty IBF members from various sectors such as Textiles and Garments, Iron/Metal Products, Coppers/Alminum Recycling, Infrastructures, Construction, Real Estate Developers, Waste Water Treatment Plant/Project, Agriculture (such as Flower and Vegetable) and Food, FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods), Flexible Containers Manufactures/Users, Manufactures, and Logistics.Sound/Communication System Integraters participated in this event. The Ambassadors of Japan and India were Guests of honor. A presentation on overview of the Ethiopian company presented by Mr. Takao Seki, Director General, JETRO Addis Ababa. JETRO Mission exchanged views on opportunity and challenge doing business in Ethiopia with Indis Business Forum member.
Thailand
(Source : Embassy of India, Bangkok)
Export Controls to Combat Terrorism
The Nation 7 Jul 2017
THE Commerce Ministry is setting up a system to monitor exports of dual-use items (DUI) as the government prepares to enforce a law to regulate trade in such items in compliance with international efforts against terrorism. The law, to be enforced from the start of next year, is aimed at helping to increase the confidence of Thailand’s trading partners and prevent the country from being subject to trade barriers. Winichai Chaemchaeng, Vice Minister at the Commerce Ministry, yesterday announced the date for the start of enforcement of the law. The government says about 1,200 items will be controlled under the law. Exporters wanting to sell products on this list need to seek permission from the government. For products that are not on the list, exporters will need to get certification that they are not DUI items.
India to boost economy with GST
Daily News (Afternoon) 3 July, 2017
One of India`s most ambitious economic reform plans in 70 years will ultimately boost tax receipts and provide simplicity for businesses, but the true impact may not be felt for at least a decade due to implementation challenges, experts said. After several rounds of deadlock in the parliament, India rolled out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, replacing a thicket of indirect central and state levies that critics argue have blunted economic competitiveness and hobbled efforts to lift more out of poverty. The government will introduce GST for a variety of goods and services along four main rate bands: 5-, 12-, 18- and 28 percent irrespective of the location of purchase. Certain goods such as fresh meat, eggs, milk, among others, will not be taxed.
Gaya route back for pilgrims
Bangkok Post: 8 Jul 2017
BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA Bhutan Airlines` Airbus A319 jet at Gaya airport. The airline will re-launch Bangkok-Gaya services from December to February. Bhutan Airlines will reintroduce flights from Bangkok to the ancient historical city of Gaya in northeast India with increased capacity to match the expected higher travel demand. The airline is due to offer three flights a week on a seasonal scheduled basis from December to February, up from two weekly flights when it ran a similar service between Dec 4 last year and Feb 26. The stepped-up capacity will cater to an expected surge in demand from Thai Buddhists making pilgrimages, Sham Sachdev, director of OMG Experience Co, the Bangkok-based general sales agent for Bhutan Airlines in Thailand, told the Bangkok Post yesterday. About 100,000 travelers from Thailand landed in Gaya last year, almost entirely to make pilgrimages. Gaya is where the Buddha was said to have obtained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree around 2,500 years ago. In the last pilgrimage season, the privately-owned Bhutan Airlines carried over 1,500 pilgrims from Bangkok to Gaya, including those known as free, independent travelers, people on package tours and incentive groups. The airline will deploy an A321 jet with 122 seats -- eight in business class,36 in premium economy and 78 in economy. The three-hour flights to Gaya will run on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The airline is offering a round-trip fare from 12,100 baht excluding tax. Mr Sachdev said Bhutan will be the only carrier offering non-stop flights on the route on a seasonal basis. THAI Smile, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thai Airways International, has also planned to launch seasonal flights from Bangkok to Gaya from October until March next year. THAI Smile will operate a code-share with its parent airline using A320 jets. It plans to offer four flights a week on the route initially but will ramp these up to seven in November and December before scaling them back down to five for the next two months and four in March.
Chile
(Source : Embassy of India, Santiago)
Market Access
Alerts on SPS/TBT notifications, import procedures, export restrictions put in place, change in trade policy:
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Sl. No.
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Notification No. and Date
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Details (Max. 100 words)
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1
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G/SPS/N/CHL/542 dated 10th Apr’2017
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Amendment to Resolution No. 633 of 2003 establishing requirements for the importation into Chile of plant material as in vitro tissue cultures
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2
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G/SPS/N/CHL/543 dated 11th Apr’2017
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Amendment to Resolution No. 5.561 of 2012 establishing phytosanitary requirements governing the importation into Chile of pollen and other reproductive plant materials of certain species and from certain places of origin for propagation purposes
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3
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G/TBT/N/CHL/397 dated 12 Apr’2017
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Given the need to reduce emissions of non-road mobile machinery entering the country, the draft standard establishes mandatory maximum emission levels for such machinery, equivalent to Stage IIIA or Tier 3 as from 2019 and Stage 5 or Tier 4 as from 2022.
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4
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G/TBT/N/CHL/398 dated 18 Apr’2017
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The notified protocol establishes the safety certification procedure for emergency luminaires for use with electrical lamps on emergency power supplies not exceeding 1,000 V, in accordance with the scope and field of application of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard No. 60598-2-22:2014-06: Luminaires - Part 2-22: Particular requirements - Luminaires for emergency lighting.
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5
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G/TBT/N/CHL/399 dated 18 Apr’2017
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The notified protocol establishes the certification procedure for empty enclosures for household and similar fixed installations for indoor use, also known as thermoplastic panel boards for household use.
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6
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G/TBT/N/CHL/400 dated 19 Apr’2017
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The notified text establishes the requirement to declare the physico-chemical composition of fertilizers that are imported into and marketed in Chile. Under this text, fertilizer manufacturers, importers and distributors are required to declare, on product containers or labels, or in the relevant descriptive and dispatch documents or invoices in the case of solid fertilizers in bulk, the physico-chemical composition of the product as regards fertilizing elements and accompanying elements such as heavy metals. They must also declare other specific physico-chemical parameters according to the type and nature of the fertilizer, including solubility, granulometry and pH value.
By establishing stricter requirements regarding the physico-chemical composition of fertilizers imported into and manufactured and marketed in the country, Chile is improving the information available to agricultural producers using these inputs. This requirement will also optimize fertilizer quality, which will be checked during Agriculture and Livestock Service inspections.
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7
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G/TBT/N/CHL/401 dated 28 Apr’2017
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The notified Chilean Standard establishes the specifications for fittings made from unplasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC-U) for pipe systems for the supply of pressurized water, which are buried or above-ground.
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8
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G/TBT/N/CHL/402 dated 28 Apr’2017
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The notified Chilean Standard establishes the requirements for unplasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC-U) solid-wall pipes and fittings for use in underground public sewage networks with a gravity-flow system. It also applies to private piping networks that have technical characteristics of public piping networks. It also applies to pipes for the purpose of carrying wastewater at temperatures not exceeding 60°C.
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Information on tender notices of interest to Indian project exporters (US$ 15 million and above):
The Chilean Economic Development Agency, Corfo, and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency, InvestChile, announced the first call for national and foreign companies to show their interest in investing in Chile to produce lithium added-value products.
Chile, the country with the world’s largest lithium carbonate reserves and with the most favorable exploitation costs of the industry, opens this call as part of the contract between Corfo and Rockwood Lithium, subsidiary of the North American Albemarle, for the exploitation of lithium in the “Salar de Atacama”.
It is relevant that this call has as a main incentive for the companies: the access to a secure supply of lithium at a favorable price and with insured volumes in the long term. Chile produces today 80 thousand tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), accounting for 40% of the world market for lithium chemicals. It is estimated that this amount will increase to more than 300 thousand tons of LCE by 2035, enabling Chile to keep its leadership in the lithium production worldwide.
Companies interested in participating in this call should send a “Letter of Interest” to Corfo latest by July 7th, 2017. In this document, they have to provide details of the type of lithium added-value products they are planning to develop, including the markets and industries they plan to aim at. Companies should also attach documentation that guarantees their experience and technical capacity to carry out their proposal (in the fields of investment and production).
Brochures on Solar Industry and Solar Energy Programme are available from Corfo’s website: https://www.corfo.cl/sites/cpp/movil/corfolitio. The page is available both in English and Spanish languages.
Further details may be obtained from the following email addresses: lithiumprojects@corfo.cl / lithiumprojects@investchile.gob.cl .
Kuwait
(Source : Embassy of India, Kuwait)
INDIA-BILATERAL
Kuwait Investment Authority is among a small group of anchor investors backing a finance bank in India head of its initial public offering. The AU Small Finance Bank raised $ 87 million from investors including Kuwait Investment Authority, GIC Pte, the Sovereign wealth fund of Singapore and US based private equity firm East Bridge Capital. The Jaipur based AU Small Finance Bank is hoping to raise $ 1.6 billion through the IPO.