Dell looking outside of China for 'safer environments,'
according to Indian PM


The Hindustan Times cover this morning has a generous space dedicated to
Google's exit out of China and related efforts at redirecting mainland
users to its Hong Kong hub, but couched cosily inside that story is
perhaps an even bigger one. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is
quoted as saying that Dell is considering taking its $25 billion's worth
of business elsewhere, possibly India:

"This morning I met the chairman of Dell Corporation. He informed me
that they are buying equipment and parts worth $25 billion from China.
They would like to shift to safer environment with climate conducive to
enterprise with security of legal system."

Michael Dell's outfit already has one manufacturing plant in India, and
the man himself has been on a charm offensive in the country this week
meeting and greeting local officials. It could well be, however, that
Dell is just seeking to play China and India off one another to get
itself the most favorable manufacturing deal, but it's still interesting
to find such a high profile protestation against the supposedly
enterprise-choking climate and uncertain legal system in China. It
appears that Google's wrangle with the Middle Kingdom's leadership has
forced consumer electronics execs to reevaluate their strong reliance on
China, and the (very) long-term effects could indeed be a shifting, or
at least diversification, of manufacturing away from Yao's homeland.

--Hindustan Times


Well, speculative to be sure, but a hopeful sign. Anything that craps on
the PRC's business/labor/safety/legal dealings is good for the rest of
the world.