Dubai School of Government Event to Focus on Developing New Business Links between GCC and India and China

Panel Discussion to be Held in Conjunction with Public Policy Consultants APCO Worldwide

Dubai-UAE: 06 March, 2011 –The Dubai School of Government (DSG), a leading research and teaching institution focusing on public policy in the Arab world, today announced it will host a panel discussion highlighting the changing dynamics driving trade between the GCC and Asian countries.

Titled ‘Building Bridges through Business: China, India and the GCC’, the event will be held on March 7, starting at 6:30 pm, in collaboration with APCO Worldwide, an award-winning, independently owned, global communications consultancy. The panel discussion will highlight the private sector’s leading role in driving the development of new business ties between the regions. Four panelists will represent the GCC, Chinese and Indian perspectives.       

Margery Kraus, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, APCO Worldwide, will be part of the panel. Other panelists will include Lalit Mansingh, former Foreign Secretary of India, and James McGregor, journalist, author and China specialist. Tariq Lootah, Executive President of Dubai School of Government, will moderate the interactive discussion.

The panelists will examine the untapped resources available to help GCC-based businesses expand into the Chinese and Indian markets. They will also highlight common misconceptions and the least understood aspects about doing business in the GCC, China and India, as well as the social and cultural initiatives that can effectively prepare public audiences for increased interaction.

Government policy changes that would directly boost private sector ties between the regions will also be discussed, along with implications for the GCC and Chinese sovereign wealth funds.

Tariq Lootah said: “At DSG, we strongly believe in the importance of bridging cultures and promoting Dubai's role as a strategic hub for global commerce and industry. By providing a platform for an informed dialogue on business relations between the GCC, China and India, we seek to increase the awareness of policy makers, thought leaders and the general public about these crucial relationships.”

The India-GCC Strategic Partnership Study Group held in Riyadh late last year placed the trade exchange between India and the GCC countries above AED235 billion in 2009, whereas the global consultancy firm McKinsey forecasts trade between China and the GCC to more than triple to touch at least AED1.28 trillion in the next decade.

Statistics released by Dubai Customs in January 2011 show India holding the biggest share of non-oil trade transactions, valued at AED123 billion, or 26 per cent of the total. China is the Dubai’s second largest non-oil trade partner, with a total of AED37 billion.

Established in 2005 in cooperation with the Harvard Kennedy School, the Dubai School of Government is committed to the creation of knowledge, and dissemination of global best practices in the Arab world. The school conducts various programmes that seek to enhance the region's capacity for effective public policy.