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In this week's edition of the Emerging Powers News Round-Up, read a comprehensive list of news stories and opinion pieces related to China, India and other emerging powers...

1. China in Africa

Chinese mine reinstates sacked Zambian workers, Minister
A Zambia-based Chinese mining company on Friday reinstated the 2,000 workers it fired two days earlier over a pay dispute, Mines ,minister Wylbur Simuusa confirmed. “After a tripartite meeting with stakeholders involved, management has agreed to reinstate all workers unconditionally with immediate effect,” said Mr Simuusa at a media on Friday after closed-door talks with Non-Ferrous China Africa (NFCA) management and the workers’ union.
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China ups investment in Africa's manufacturing
While the natural resource and infrastructure sectors attract the largest share of Chinese foreign direct investment to sub-Saharan Africa, investment in manufacturing is increasing. This is according to the October 2011 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday.
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FG Adopts Chinese Farming Option
As part of efforts to ensure that quality food is made available to all the citizens, the federal government has engaged Chinese local farmers to teach their Nigerian counterparts how to grow more food with less physical energy. Speaking during this year’s Agricultural Show, which took place on Keffi road, Nasarawa State, the coordinator, South-South Corpor-ation, Alhaji Gidado Bello, said the partnership, which started since 2003 across the 36 states of the federation, had yielded much results.
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Mozambique Strengthening ties with its old friend, China
Brimming with resources that include minerals, fossil fuels, abundant water, marine life and fertile, arable land, Mozambique offers huge possibilities for treasure seekers. A strikingly beautiful tropical country on the south east coast of Africa, the country is one of the most sparsely populated on the continent, with just 23.4 million people. Having enjoyed high growth rates of around 8 percent year on year between 1994 and 2006, Mozambique is on course for more as mega- projects in mining and energy take off. Collaborations on these, and the infrastructural development of roads, bridges, railroads, airports and seaports from Chinese partnerships will be crucial if the nation is to reach its full potential.
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President Receives Chinese Delegation
President Yoweri Museveni has told a Chinese delegation that Uganda needs more investors, tourists and trainers in skills from their country. President Museveni was meeting a delegation from the Chinese Free Trade Union at State House Nakasero today. The delegation was led by Mr.LI Shiming, one of the leaders of the Chinese Free Trade Union. The delegation was accompanied by leaders of the Central Organisation of Free Trade Unions (COFTU) who included its Chairman, General Christopher Kahirita and Secretary General, Dr.Sam Lyomoki, among others.
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2. India in Africa

Tata eyes Ethiopia’s tea sector
The Tata group plans to grow tea in Ethiopia and is working towards setting up an automobile assembly plant in Mozambique as it seeks to expand business interests in Africa. The group, owner of the Tetley tea brand, has approached Ethiopian authorities with a proposal to venture into tea farming in the landlocked country, said Esayas Kebede, director of Ethiopia’s agriculture and rural development ministry.
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Zimbabwe to revise iron ore reserves deal with Essar Africa
According to Mr Gift Chimanikire Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister of Zimbabwe, the government will not surrender 90% of the iron ore reserves it had parceled out to Essar Africa Holdings as that provision of the agreement was wrong. He said that the government wants to reopen negotiations on a deal it made with Essar Africa Holdings of India to relaunch the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company, now called New Zimbabwe Steel Limited.
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India, S. Africa ink long-term contracts for raw materials
India and South Africa have decided to enter into long term contracts for purchase of raw materials and commodities. The Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister, Mr Anand Sharma — who participated in a meeting of the Trade Ministers from India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) in Pretoria (South Africa) on Tuesday — asked the public sector MMTC to work expeditiously on the proposal for such long-term contracts. MMTC had recently opened an office in South Africa.
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India, African nations to work closely on traditional medicine
Aiming to give a boost to traditional medicines, representatives of India and 27 African countries (Union Commission of Africa) prepared a draft proposal in this regard on the last day of the three-day India-Africa workshop on Thursday here. The proposal advocated for forming a core group or a working group of officials of the participating nations to work for the benefit of traditional medicines.
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African delegation visits India for trade institute
An African delegation, led by the Ugandan commissioner of external trade, is visiting the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) here to discuss measures for setting up a similar institution in Africa. "Tremendous opportunities exist for cooperation in the field of capacity building and imparting professional knowledge between the institute and the African countries," IIFT director K.T. Chacko said. "This step will only accelerate institute's efforts in internationalising its reach and imparting knowledge beyond borders, especially in Africa," he added.
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Rwanda looks to India for fresh investment
Building upon a new business synergy between India and Africa, a 25-member business delegation led by Rwanda's former prime minister Bernard Makuza will be here this week to explore new investment opportunities. Makuza, a close aide of President Paul Kagame who had served as prime minister of Rwanda for over a decade, was replaced Oct 6 and appointed to the Senate. The highlight of Makuza's visit will be a business roadshow focussing on trade, investments, joint ventures, technology supplies and sourcing of expertise across a wide spectrum.
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3. In Other Emerging Powers News

IBSA needs to step up pace on trade within the grouping and security
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here on Monday for the Fifth IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) Summit at a time when all three are serving concurrently as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and there are questions about its relevance after South Africa joined the BRIC (Brazil-Russia-India-China) grouping in which it was the only one among the three excluded till the Sanya summit held in April.
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SA achieving Ibsa trade success – Zuma
South Africa is achieving significant success in trade with its Ibsa partner countries, India and Brazil, President Jacob Zuma said at a press conference on Tuesday. South Africa has been hosting the fifth Ibsa (India, Brazil and South Africa) Dialogue Forum summit in Pretoria. "I am pleased to note," he said, "that although South Africa is only 8.2% of the combined GDP [gross domestic product">, we contributed 25% of Ibsa trade in 2010, and in 2009 we contributed the largest share, 38%."
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South Africa faces COP 17 balancing act
At a national government level, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane is the COP 17 president, and her department would be handling the logistics arrangements of the conference, as well as facilitating a successful outcome at COP 17. The Department of Environmental Affairs would ensure that South Africa’s interests were properly represented at the negotiations. South Africa also faced divergent expectations and needs from various groupings and was under significant pressure, Parramon said.
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IBSA call for ambitious outcome at Durban climate talks
India, Brazil and South Africa today called for "comprehensive, balanced and ambitious" outcome at the fortnight-long Durban climate talks scheduled to begin late next month. "The outcome of Durban should be comprehensive, balanced and ambitious, within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication and in accordance with the provisions and principles of the Convention, in particular the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities," said a joint declaration issued after the 5th IBSA Summit.
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Russia's Russneft plans investment in Nigerian oil
Russian oil and gas firm Russneft, which is partly owned by oil-to-telecoms group Sistema , told Nigeria's vice president on Thursday it was ready to invest in Africa's largest oil and gas industry. "We came to inform the Nigerian government of our interest to invest in the country's oil and gas industry. We have the capability and the finance if given the approval to invest," said Russneft director Sergey Bakhir.
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Brazil's Rousseff praises 'brother' Angola
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday described the post-war reconstruction of Angola as an example for the continent, during a visit to the oil-rich nation on Thursday. "Angola's relaunch is a paradigm for other countries in Africa in terms of economic and social stability. It is an example for hope," she told the country's parliament. Rousseff was in Luanda on the third and final leg of an African tour which took her to South Africa and Mozambique.
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4. Blogs, Opinions, Presentations and Publications

A vision for the Indian Ocean
Recent developments in the Indian Ocean region demand attention. Look at a sample collection: Somali pirates, operating in waters off the Horn of Africa with impunity, are now coming closer to our coast; China has commissioned its first aircraft carrier; an Indian company's hydrocarbon exploration activity in Vietnam's waters is being contested by China; a former Japanese Prime Minister visiting Delhi calls for closer cooperation among “maritime democracies,” and every move by Beijing to cement its ties with our immediate neighbours is seen as vindication of the “string of pearls” theory.
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Russian business in Africa: missed opportunities and prospects
Rusal, LUKoil, Gazprom, Renova, Norilsk Nickel, Alrosa, Rosatom, Rosoboronexport, and sundry telecom and financial corporations – these are only some of Russian companies that have set up operations in Africa. Until recently, they mostly invested in the mining industry, but economic cooperation is expanding. However, Africa still accounts for just 1.5% of Russia’s foreign investment – a drop in the ocean. It must be admitted that Russia’s economic policy in Africa lacks dynamism. African countries have been waiting for us for too long, we lost our positions in post-apartheid Africa and have largely missed new opportunities. Currently, Russia lags behind leading nations in most economic parameters in this region.
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Can Brazilian Agribusiness Create Prosperity in Africa?
Today’s guest post comes from a writer I’ll call Paul Gayle. Paul is an American journalist who lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a strong interest in sustainability. (His employer would prefer that he not blog under his real name.) He maintains his own blog, called Lungs of the Earth, about environmental issues in Brazil. Here, Paul reports on an unusual deal between the government of Mozambique and Brazilian farmers, who have been given the use of 6 million hectares – an area equivalent to two thirds of Portugal – to farm.
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