Investing in Asia: the route to riches or reckless adventure?

It is impossible to read newspapers or plastics trade magazines without seeing articles about companies investing in Asia to benefit from the tremendous growth in China or the potential of India. There is no doubt that both these regions represent opportunities for western companies, but it is easy to be seduced by the statistics and a thorough assessment of the opportunity and the risks is needed. For every success story there are three or four instances where things did not go as anticipated. In the second of his articles on issues arising from globalization, Stephen Duckworth of Euro-Asia Connect highlights some of the issues that he believes need to be considered as part of an entry strategy to Asian markets.