Global Atlanta

The world is here.

The world is here.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Topics
    • Business
      • Law
    • Culture
    • Diplomacy
      • Consular Conversations
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Trade
  • Regions
    • Africa
      • Ghana
      • Senegal
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Canada
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Haiti
      • Mexico
    • Asia
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • South Korea
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Netherlands
      • Turkey
      • United Kingdom
    • Middle East – North Africa
      • Israel
    • Southeast Asia
  • Events
  • Directories
    • Consulates and Chambers
    • International Experts in Georgia
    • Our Sponsors
  • Jobs

  • Asia
  • China
  • India
    • Business

Summit: China, India Cooperation Brings Opportunity, Challenges for U.S.

March 18, 2016 | Trevor Williams

More than a billion people. An ascendant middle class. Rapid growth with dire environmental consequences. Rising importance in global security. 

As border countries with divergent histories, India and China have always had their differences, but the world’s two most populous nations in modern times also share a surprising number of similarities that could breed collaborative approaches to global problems, speakers said at Kennesaw State University’s inaugural Chindia Summit March 9. 

And for the United States, which enjoys important ties with both, the extent of their cooperation will have major consequences, ranging from favorable to challenging. 

No discussion on climate change, for instance, can ignore the role of “Chindia,” both developing nations working to reconcile the economic growth imperatives of their massive populations with a world that is now fully aware of the harm greenhouse gases cause. 

While neither comes close to having the average American’s carbon footprint, they’re both major contributors to climate change and victims of it, experts said at the event organized by the India China America Institute. 

“India’s in the unenviable position, China to a lesser extent, of being very high on both lists,” said Daniel Rochberg, chief strategy officer of the Climate@Emory Initiative. Delhi is the most polluted city of the world, a list on which 13 of the top 25 are in India. Meanwhile, China — known for the suffocating smog of its capital city, Beijing — is the world’s largest car market and has overtaken the U.S. in terms of emissions spewed overall. 

Still, they can both point to meaningful action to safeguard the planet as their standards of living rise. India’s new government has quintupled its already ambitious solar power goals, hoping to generate 100,000 megawatts by 2020. And it has challenged entrepreneurs and innovators to come up with super-efficient air conditioners, which as a product category alone could suck up more power in 2030 than all of India takes today, Mr. Rochberg said, noting that India could be a “laboratory” for energy solutions. 

China, which meanwhile, has invested heavily in wind and solar energy, announced plans to shut down 1,200 coal mines, agreed with the U.S. to reach peak emissions by 2030 and tested a carbon trading system. 

“China is a global leader in climate change in a way that’s uprising to many people,” said Eri Saikawa, assistant professor of environmental sciences at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

The two economies are growing more intertwined economically as well, even as they seem to occupy different sides of the playing field on Asian security. 

Some $20 billion in deals were announced when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the country in 2014, even as they dealt with border standoff. China will help India with its direst infrastructure needs in the five-year plan, building industrial zones in two states. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, telecommunications giant Huawei and heavy equipment manufacturer Sany, among many others, make big bets on the country. Sany, which has a major plant in Georgia, is pouring $3 billion into Indian renewable energy projects. India has also joined the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. 

“Chinese are investing in India left and right in different industries,” said Henry Yu, a longtime Atlanta banker and the executive director of the Asian Investors Consortium. 

Both countries are becoming important investors in the Southeast U.S., with their big conglomerates often using acquisitions to gain brand equity or market share. Chinese computer and smartphone giant Lenovo bought IBM’s computer business in North Carolina, while Haier, which has a refrigerator factory in South Carolina, just purchased GE’s appliance unit for $5.4 billion. Volvo — the Swedish car maker owned by China’s Geely Automotive — is putting an auto plant in South Carolina in the coming years. Indian acquisitions in Georgia include Novelis and Columbian Chemicals. 

South Carolina has attracted more than 20 Chinese companies and six Indian firms, according to its investment figures. The state recently shifted its strategy in China, putting three people on the ground in its Shanghai office and keeping a Mandarin speaker on staff in Columbia, the capital. It also opened an office in Delhi in 2014 during a visit of Gov. Nikki Haley, who has Indian ancestry. Investment recruiters have been visiting a few times a year since then. 

“We have a long ways to go in both of those countries but we feel that we’re really building on those relationships,” said Ford Graham, director of international strategy, said at the summit. 

Of course, despite all the similarities, China and India also diverge in a few pretty significant ways. On demographics, India is young while China is aging. On democracy: India has it; China doesn’t. And then there’s the exiled Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader who lives in Dharamsala, India. 

But, as they grow closer, experts say the U.S. can benefit from their mutual growth. 

The event included panels on climate change, globalization of Chinese and Indian companies, the role of their diaspora communities and soft power. 

For more information and to see the full list of speakers, click here. 

Join more than 11,000 subscribers receiving our weekly update and monthly focus newsletters:

Articles Related to Asia

Marshall Automation, a ‘Smart Manufacturing’ Firm From India, Opens Duluth Office

India: Lots of Reasons for Optimism Amid Tough Trade Environment

From Forestry to Clay, Trade Policy Hits Home in Middle Georgia 

Asia coverage presented by:

Asia coverage presented by:

More News

  • India
    • Business
    • Economic Development

Marshall Automation, a ‘Smart Manufacturing’ Firm From India, Opens Duluth Office

    • Business
  • Georgia Solar Employment Falls 14 Percent Amid Trade Uncertainty

    • Trade
  • UPS to Support White House Initiative to Promote Women’s Exports 

    • Australia
    • Indonesia
    • Korea
    • Mexico
    • Turkey
      • Diplomacy
      • Education
      • Politics
      • Trade

    Commentary: Mexico Finds New Avenue for Responsible Diplomacy With Like-Minded Countries

    • United Kingdom
      • Diplomacy
      • Economic Development
      • Politics

    Georgia Lawmakers Show Bipartisan Love for the United Kingdom

    Weekly News Update

    Upcoming Events

    Sat 16

    Stories Without an End: Power, Beauty & Wisdom of Women in African Art of the Mehta Collection

    January 18 - April 21
    Atlanta
    United States
    Sat 16

    Rialto Series: Farruquito – Smoldering Gypsy Flamenco

    February 16 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    Sun 17

    2019 Chinese Business Association of Atlanta Annual Dinner/Meeting

    February 17 at 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
    Chamblee GA
    United States
    Mon 18

    Lunch & Discussion with Annette Schavan: Technical Skill Training as Catalyst for Innovation

    February 18 at 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
    Atlanta
    United States
    Mon 18

    Mercedes-Benz Stadium Tour

    February 18 at 1:45 pm - February 27 at 3:00 pm
    Atlanta GA
    United States
    Tue 19

    Six Years in a North Vietnam Prison Camp

    February 19 at 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
    Atlanta GA
    United States
    Tue 19

    Ireland: TradeBridge Business Opportunities & Connections

    February 19 at 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
    Savannah GA
    United States

    View More…

    Latest Global Jobs Around Atlanta

    • Program Coordinator
      World Affairs Council of Atlanta
    • Social Media Coordinator
      World Affairs Council of Atlanta
    • Customer Service Representative
      gatc LP
    • Executive Assistant to the President/Meeting Planner
      USA Poultry & Egg Export Council
    • Accountant/Controller
      YER USA, Inc.
    • Director Israeli Desk
      YER USA, Inc.
    • Associate Director of Undergraduate Programming and Online and Professional Education
      Georgia Institute of Technology - School of Modern Languages
    • Logistics Intern
      AJC Logistics
    • Educational Outreach Intern
      Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta
    • Gift-In-Kind Specialist
      MedShare International, Inc.
    • Administrative Assistant - International Recruitment
      YER USA, Inc.
    • Program & Research Intern
      World Affairs Council of Atlanta
    Global Atlanta

    For more than 20 years, Global Atlanta has been the only publication devoted to tracking Atlanta's rise as a center for international business, education and culture.

    The world is here.

    Engage

    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Post a Job
    • Submit an International Event
    • Subscribe to Global Atlanta Newsletters
    • Write for us

    Join more than 11,000 readers getting the latest international business news each week

    By accessing GlobalAtlanta.com, you agree to the following Terms of Use.

    Review Our Privacy Policy

    All content © 1993-2019 GlobalAtlanta.com, All Rights Reserved. GlobalAtlanta.com is published by the Agio Press, Inc. 659 Auburn Ave., Suite 119, Atlanta, Ga., 3031