Laying the Groundwork for Business in Asia

I was told local officials would rather pay the fines for emission violations because it's cheaper than abiding by the rules: It could cost 25 percent more in energy alone to run the emission-cleaning scrubbers at coal plants. If you measure progress by growth rates, this inevitably conflicts with sustainability.

I met Dr. Yih-Min Jan, the general manager of the Tang Energy Group, which is number two in the world market for manufacturing wind turbine blades to generate wind energy. He was very familiar with the opportunities of expanding wind energy production in Minnesota, as it is one of three states where his company and others might consider for expansion.

In fact, Jan believes that in two years China will become a major manufacturer of wind turbines, and will be looking for a place in the United States to set up a manufacturing base. This could be a natural Minnesota connection and opportunity.

"An economist told me there are three constraints to India's continued growth: infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure."

Rural Life

August 5, Agra, India. My morning began by visiting with the poor and proud villagers of Kavis just outside of Agra. This was truly a very rural setting. Most people there make one to two dollars per day.

They villagers gave me a tour, showing me where they pumped water, milked cows, cooked over a small fire, made pottery cups for drinking.

I participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open a new health care camp. The medical team from the Shanti Mangalick Charity Hospital now uses this location to perform health care checks on the villagers—especially exams for eye disease. About 50 percent of the patients have cataract eye disease, which needs to be treated or there is a risk of loss of eyesight. [Editor's note: Cataract is a clouding of the lenses of the eye that is usually caused by aging and can be reversed with surgery, according to the National Eye Institute.]

Dr. Mahesh Mangalick is the administrator of the hospital and arranges treatment of cataracts through very simple, economical, and sutureless surgery with appropriate lens implants. Very low fees area charged—mainly to cover costs of materials and operation-related expenses. A mere $50 can help cover the total costs for both eyes, but these poor villagers cannot afford even this amount.

Mangalick first met staff from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health just over a year ago, and since that time has received some grants to get computers for maintaining patient health records. They've also begun hosting visiting staff from the university's School of Public Health. There's even a new side office painted in gold with a sign above the doorway that reads, 'University of Minnesota Visitors.'

One for the Road

August 7, Jaipur. I could tell you that the key to driving in India is simply remembering to tap on the horn every 15 seconds and maintain camel eyes (just looking straight ahead like you don't see anyone else) because that's what drivers here do. But it's much more than that, and you need to have nerves of steel.

The more-than-130-mile drive from Agra to Jaipur is not for the faint of heart, and it was an interesting experience. It took me about six hours moving on a frequently congested, narrow road that included camels, herds of goats, tractors, buses, industrial trucks, motorcycles carrying up to four people, overloaded jeeps, and vehicles carrying 25 passengers or more hanging off the sides and sitting on the roofs.

After experiencing road transportation in India, it is very evident why an economist told me there are three constraints to India's continued growth: infrastructure, infrastructure, and infrastructure. It takes an inordinate amount of time to get from place to place in India, whether by road, rail, or even air.

The government has built 3,355 miles of highways, with another 1,600 under construction and an additional 3,700 miles planned. The massive growth in domestic and international air travel is why dozens of new airports are being built or upgraded. All together, India will spend about $150 billion on infrastructure between 2005 and 2010. China invested more than that ($200 billion) in the year 2005 alone.