Realistically, all three have positive attributes to offer each so its natural they will work together at some level to achieve their targets. However, at the same time, many issues need to be resolved between the nations involved before anything greater can be built.

hey you! When you going to respond to my PM....

In his Independence Day speech this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said one of the thrust areas of India's foreign policy would be Latin America and Africa. This has been on the cards for quite some time and Singh's announcement could not have been more timely.

Singh will be visiting Rio de Janeiro in September to attend a summit of India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) that will bring together the heads of Governments and states of two of the biggest economies of Latin America and Africa. New Delhi has rightly focused to strengthen economic and political linkages with the two continents where China has already registered its strong presence way ahead of its Asian neighbour as part of efforts to widen its trade and energy diplomacy.

China has ramped up its investment and aid to Latin American and African countries and leveraged its cheap exports to the two continents for sourcing raw materials from there. The end of Cold War has seen the United States taking its focus off Latin America and Central America where it had once aggressively countered the Soviet influence. China quickly moved into cash in on the resultant void in an altogether altered geo-political context and it is time India does the same.

India has already launched initiatives to enhance trade with Latin America which is experiencing economic boom riding on the growing demand for primary commodities. The region registered a growth of 4.3 per cent in 2005, bringing down poverty rate from 44 to 40.6 per cent and unemployment rate from 10.3 percent to 9.3 percent. The region attracted Foreign Direct Investment to the tune of 60 billion dollars in 2005. The World Bank estimates the GDP developing countries of Latin America to grow at an annual average rate of 3.8 per cent between 2006 and 2015. Economic growth in Latin America is likely to average 4.5 to 5 per cent this year, the inflation came down to single digit in many years and bourses in the region are among the top performers in the last three years.

The IBSA summit will seek to bring about synergy between India, Latin America and Africa. It is expected to enhance trade flows among Mercosur countries of Latin America comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Mercosur India and India- SACU to an estimated ten billion dollars by 2007 from the existing 4.7 billion dollars among the three regional economic groupings. Energy, telecom, Information Technology, Agriculture and Infrastructure are some of the potential areas of cooperation among IBSA countries and together they can create a market of 1.2 billion people, 1.2 trillion dollar GDP and foreign trade of 30 billion dollars.

Major Indian companies have a presence in Latin America. The Tata Consultancy Services, with its IT and BPO businesses, expects to more than double its revenue from the region to cross 100 million dollar mark. The company operations in 14 countries of the region across Brazil, Uruguay and Chile where it has acquired two key customary Transantiago, the public transport system planned for Chilean capital Santiagoyand back office business of a leading banking and financial group. The Tata Motors has announced a joint venture with Brazilian body-building company for bus and coach Marcopolo to assemble and manufacture buses and coaches.

TVS Motors and Bajaj Auto are eyeing the burgeoning two-wheeler markets in Latin American markets and are planning to offer motorcycles with the strategy of beating Chinese companies in quality and Japanese ones in price. Apart from the huge market in the region, the Indian companies are expecting a higher margin than in India as price is not said to be a constraint in Latin America. Jindal Steel and Power Limited has landed a 2.3 billion dollar iron and steel project in Bolivia in the biggest project awarded to an Indian company in Latin America. The Indian company is expected to set up a steel plant, sponge iron factory and develop a 40 billion tonne iron ore mine and a ten billion tonne manganese mine. The project is likely to provide direct employment to 2,000 people and indirect employment to 10,000 people and help Bolivia, one of the poorest countries of Latin America get some 200 million dollars a year in profits and taxes.

The ONGC Videsh Limited and Chinese firm Sinopec jointly won the bid for a 50 percent stake in Ommimex de Colombia, a US oil company in Bolivia, which will help the Indian firm secure a 25 percent stake in an oilfield producing 20,000 barrels a day.

Compared to Latin America, Africa has for much of the last decade invited lesser attention from India. One major reason for that was that many African countries were plagued by political and economic upheavels caused by civil wars, famine and coups. But all that is passe now.

Since early 1990s, many African countries have made significant strides in opening up their economies to competition from outside through trade liberalization. Most African countries now have democratic political systems.

In 2004, Africa witnessed improved economic growth along with strong macroeconomic fundamentals, fiscal situation improvement and decline in average inflation rate. This clearly opened up opportunities for Indian businesses and investors in the region. The year 2004 is considered important for India's ‘‘Look Africa’’ policy with New Delhi announcing a 500 million dollar credit line for nine countries of the region to help Indian companies execute development projects.

Recently, the Sajjan Jindal-promoted JSW Group finalized acquisition of a 200 million tonne coal mine in Mozambique. The Tata group has begun construction of a ferrochrome plant in South Africa with an initial investment of Rs 458 crore and is planning to in vest in coal and manganese business in that country.

India's policy of engaging Africa in a calibrated manner, in contrast to China's big presence through huge doses of aid and mega projects, seems to be fetching better dividends, analysts say.

China's increasing presence has rankled many in Africa. In July this year, miners in Zambia clashed with Chinese managers who reportedly opened fire. Cheap textiles from China affecting textile units in Africa have angered African trade unions and some China-aided projects are reportedly employing more Chinese than locals, causing resentment to brew.

African countries are among the fastest developing countries this year and the window of opportunity in the continent beckons India.

I think ASEAN can relate more to india so that leaves china and east asia out

China's presense in Latin America is being expanded. Especially in Venezuela. America is pretty pissed about it!

I think ASEAN can relate more to india so that leaves china and east asia out