China or India, which would Warren Buffett choose?

China, India, Business

Should you be looking at China or India to be doing business?

This is a question that several friends have asked me.  The honest answer is "It depends".  What is your industry, what contacts do you have, and where do you want to be doing business.  Both of these countries have growing economies and many opportunities.  This question is similar to asking "Should I be looking at the US or Europe to be doing business?"

Despite this, it is possible to provide a little research that might help make a decision.  I was given the advice that when try to make decisions, it is often helpful to try and see what decisions people with more knowledge are making.  So in this case, I tried to think who did I know personnally or could talk to that knew more than me about India and China?  I noticed that in my area there were quite a few native born Indians and native born mainland Chinese that had emigrated to my country.  I figured they must know their home country, so I decided to ask them.

I asked each of these groups about their interest in returning to their homeland to start or do business.  The answers were quite consistent among each group.  Most all of the native born Indians had little interest in return to India to start or do business.  On the contrary, most all of the native born mainland Chinese were very interested in the topic of returning to their homeland to start or do business.

This research, among other factors, convinced me that China was where I wanted to be.

Do your own research, and I look forward to seeing you in Beijing next time you are here.

Steve

Steve@YourGuideToChina.com