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India the safest place to do business in Asia

At least it is according to the RiskMap 2007, a guide for the quality of business environments published on Thursday by the international business risk consultancy Control Risks. The group has surveyed a total of 198 countries on issues of security risks, political stability, infrastructure and terrorism threats amongst others to come up with a detailed outline of where businesses meet the most friendly and constructive climates.

India is on top of the list in the rapidly emerging market Asia. Despite deficiencies in infrastructure in centers of economic activity like Mumbai and Bangalore, threats my Kashmiri terrorist groups and the ever present red tape, Control Risk attest the giant a generally positive economic outlook. A safe business environment is by no means an asset to be taken for granted. Worldwide, only 50% of the states have achieved a low risk ranking on political risk, and 60% reached a low ranking on security risks. The report stated that it would be particularly interesting to follow the developments in the USA, Russia and China, all countries that are facing decisions with a direct effect on the business environment.

The business risk consultancy emphasized that the biggest risks facing the business environment are not so much the terrorist threats in the headlines, but energy concerns, the spread of fraud and intellectual property crimes and health factors like the global spread of AIDS. But like with any risk, the company says that with appropriate planning and strategies risks that are identified at an early stage might be manageable.