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You ever get the feeling the city walls closing in, the concrete jungles suffocating your soul?
You crave wide open spaces, the chance to connect with nature, maybe chase some milk, fish a private stream.
Well listen up, there's a whole world out there and finding your own piece of it just got easier.
Head over to land .com.
They've got ranches, forests, mountains you name it.
Search by acreage, location, the kind of hunting or fishing you dream of.
Land .com. It's where the adventure begins.
Asking the right questions can greatly impact your future, especially when it comes to your finances.
So if you're looking for a financial advisor you can trust, Certified Financial Planner professionals are committed to acting in your best interest. That's why it's gotta be a CFP.
CFP, find your CFP professional at let's make a plan .org Hello and welcome to World Business Report from the BBC World Service.
I'm Mark Ashdown and on this edition the Vice President of the United States J .D.
Vance touches down in India to kick off trade talks as China warns countries to tread carefully in doing deals with the Trump administration.
Vance appeared to be on a charm offensive as he visited a small Emporium business in Delhi with his wife and children in tow.
We have never seen such a humble and polite and soft -spoken persons at such a big level.
It means a lot to us.
Plus how smuggling in West Africa is costing governments billions at a time of increasing concern over global trade.
People are bringing a lot of cosmetics, food, alcohol and then increasingly we also see high value smuggling of gold and other things, cocoa.
And from skyscrapers to supercars, how Dubai is recruiting social creators to post their experiences and help sell the tourism tree.
All that's still to come, but let's start with China issuing a warning to countries negotiating new trade agreements with the United States saying it firmly opposes other nations striking deals at Beijing's expense.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry said it was prepared to take countermeasures if this occurred.
At a joint news conference in Beijing with his Indonesian counterpart, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi urged resistance to all forms of unilateralism and trade protectionism.
We advocate for inclusive and beneficial economic globalization, including a multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and strive to foster a just, fair and non -discriminatory trade and investment environment.
We must consistently uphold the principle of openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefit.
Oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism.
And maintain that indiscriminate tariff impositions severely harm normal international trade and economic exchanges.
Well that Chinese warning comes as the US Vice President, I should say, J .D.
Vance touched down today in India for trade talks with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
country. America is India's top trading partner.
And talks are expected to focus on brokering a fresh bilateral deal, which could more than double the trade between the two nations to $500bn a year.
While our India business correspondent, ArOakel TE Mukherjee, explained what we might expect over the course of this four -day visit.
On the first day of his four -day visit, Vice President J .D.
Vance will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is followed by an official dinner which the prime minister is hosting.
JD Vance is accompanied by senior officials from the Pentagon and the State Department, so geopolitics and trade will be topping the agenda of these conversations.
And obviously, trade is the big talking point.
India not exempt from the tariffs, facing 27%, before of course that 90 -day pause was announced.
Since then, trade officials on both sides have been trying to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.
Apart from being an trading partner.
India is being seen by the US as a crucial presence in the region to counterbalance China's growing influence, especially in the Indo -Pacific.
So it is very significant from both trade as well as strategic and geopolitical ties that both countries meet and speak, which is what we're expecting later this evening.
Talk us through the importance of what they trade, really what the main issues are.
The relations, broadly speaking, are quite positive.
That's right and India would hope to keep it that way as well.
India would like to emphasize the fact that But compared to the neighbourhood, the tariffs for India are still relatively low and they're also hoping that by way of this trade negotiation that is currently underway, they will be able to offset any possible losses or future losses which bilateral trade could come to if this tariff impact continues.
In terms of sticking points, India has been looking for more access to the US markets when it comes to the more labour intensive sectors like apparel, textiles, gems, jewellery.
The US has been pushing for greater access, especially in the field of agriculture and dairy -farming, something which is very sensitive to the Indian electorate, especially because India has, you know, protected the agricultural industry for a very long time, a huge number of people depend on it, nearly half of India's population is associated in some way with agriculture, so India's made it very clear that they need to kind of protect that.
So will there be any concessions there that the US has been asking.
That remains a sticking point really.
We're not expecting a trade deal now.
We understand this could take many many months to really finalize.
This is a long process Absolutely, so officials have indicated that they're on the right track We'll see how this really plays out But there have been a lot of reports that India has indicated that they're looking to lower tariffs on several goods Also, India's hoping that you know by sending a message to people like Elon musk opening up the country for a possible entry of Tesla Starlink, you know, these are all optics as India tries to send a message to the u .s. as well.
Just finally, I mentioned at the start, J .D.
Vance has his family, his wife and four children in tow.
Do we have any idea what's on the agenda there?
Is that some kind of charm offensive really to show off India's sights?
That's interesting, and something that definitely the local media has been really watching out and reporting on, especially given the background of J .D.
Vance's wife Usha Vance, who is of Indian origin, hailing from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
A lot of people have talked about how this is a mix and a balance of sort of a personal visit, as well as an official visit.
As soon as they landed, one of the first few stops that JD Vance made was at a massive temple here in the capital city of Delhi, with his family.
There was a big photo -op, with his children wearing Indian attire.
So clearly, this is a trip also high on optics, where that visual messaging has also been carried out.
So, it's a mixer, I would say, of business, economics, geopolitics, strategy, and as you said, there's that personal twist to it as Well, on that note, shortly after landing, the vice -president and his family headed just a short drive from the airport, into Central Delhi, where he visited the Central Cottage Industries Emporium.
It was set up by the Indian government nearly 80 years ago, to preserve traditional Indian crafts, selling dress materials, clothing, rugs, even tea.
Just after the visit, I spoke with the showroom manager, Mitu Vazani, who started by explaining what it meant to the company.
It means a lot for us, we are very honored to have him here, his aura is so positive and we really loved the visit we were waiting so much for it and we have never seen such a humble and polite and soft spoken persons at such a big level, it means a lot to us.
So when they arrived tell me how you welcomed them?
We welcomed them in a particular Indian way, with folded hands we say Namaskar.
Namaste. And that's our way of welcoming people, that Vice -President came and he shake hand with us.
Tell me about the sorts of things you sell there and what he was interested in and did he buy anything?
Yeah of course, he bought tea, he bought a few of herbal products, then wooden items. He has taken pottery.
So different artifacts, Indian handicrafts he has taken, and he has showed his important.
And his children were with him.
Who was, who was doing the buying?
Of course, the children they really liked many things over here.
The beautiful different items are there like all kind of animal shapes are there.
So kids were attracted by those things.
Therefore, how significant then is this visit?
Well earlier I spoke to Anna Wadhawan, India's former commerce secretary?
It is very significant and it comes on top of some very meaningful things which have happened in the recent past. We started with that concern about you know India getting labelled as the tariff king and then of course the reciprocal duties which have been paused and since then a lot of ground being covered on the bilateral trade agreement negotiations.
They've I think already worked out a framework agreement, there is talk of 19 chapters in the agreement, there is talk of the first phase getting completed by September -October to cover the goods part and then the services part in the second phase.
And of course, they're talking also of early harvest in the next 90 days or so.
So that I think is to address the concern about the reciprocal duties which are paused for three months.
So I think the visit comes on top of all these sort of significant forward movements.
And of course, the discussion during the vice president's visit will go beyond trade.
And I don't think they'll get into the nitty gritty of the trade agreement, but I'm sure it'll come up for discussion.
Absolutely. In terms of that framework, then if we could just talk about the deal, what sort of things could be in it?
Just just remind us of the key trading factors.
And I mean, been talk of you know a mega deal doubling trade to $500 billion potentially what might that look like?
I think it's going to be a typical agreement which will cover goods and services and possibly investment also and of course the standard chapters in every agreement the sort of tariff concessions which are going to be covered the rules of origin all the customs procedures then of course on services across all four modes so there must be a fairly standard structure which, you know, which typically the trade agreements have. In terms of China, then, we've had this warning from China for countries not to appease, in its words, the US.
I mean, do you think India can keep good relationships with both, with both China and the US?
And this is the question facing major economies, isn't it?
No, certainly I don't, to be honest understand China's concern.
Every country has the right to sign a trade agreement with any other country it wants.
It is well understood even in WTO rules.
So I think India -China trade and India -US trade are of a different dimension altogether and the pattern and structure of that trade is very different.
So I don't see any sort of conflict between relations with the US going further as envisaged to reach a trade volume of $500 billion and maintaining a healthy trade relationship with China also.
So I don't see any contradiction and a trade agreement is well understood between countries just China has so many of them.
Other countries are at liberty to have their own trade agreements.
You, of course, were India's Commerce Secretary during Trump's first presidency.
India enjoyed a good relationship then.
Indeed, it seems to still now.
What is the key, do you think, in your experience to negotiating with the president?
There's a lot of comfort in that relationship.
We are both sort of democracies, both have some common underlying values.
We have a long -standing, you know, people to people relationship.
The Indian diaspora is huge.
In the US, all of those things give a lot of comfort to the relationship.
So there is a kind of lower threshold, which is quite high.
Any trade tension or trade concern doesn't fall below that.
And as far as negotiating with President Trump is concerned, what I gather is that it has to be an appointed negotiation where you understand each others' ambitions well.
So I think it has to be a pointed negotiation which targets some well -defined outcomes and to the extent India and the US have been discussing right from President Trump's first term, it'll be easier to you know identify these goalposts and read some concrete outcomes in the negotiation.
As well in terms of what we call the optics of these things on the one hand I understand we're having some protests here from farmers, from the agricultural sector but On the other, we see JD Vance with his family, with his wife and children, going to an Indian emporium, buying goods.
What sorts of, I'm curious, what sort of headlines does this visit make?
I think the headlines on the whole are good, and the overall impact is very positive.
Of course, there are concerns about opening up our agriculture and dairy sector.
But last time also, when the negotiations were on, There were various, you know, instruments available for managing that ambition the U .S. has while protecting India's sensitivities, you know, various instruments like staging of beauties, they don't come down to zero immediately, they come down over a period of time and things like tariff rate quotas, where you will limit the quantities that come in and balance the impact or, you know, things like minimum import prices, where you restrict the market to the higher end products, to the extent the US, you know, product for their wines or alcohol
or dairy products, they're at the higher end, that MIP will work well, and they'll serve a separate niche in the Indian market without impacting domestic producers.
So those concerns I think can be addressed, but they will certainly be there and I can understand, you know, various farmers, organizations, and the dairy industry will express concern, but that is part of democratic process, there will be methods to address those concerns.
The world's leading bankers and finance ministers are in Washington for the Spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund.
There are warnings of a slowdown in the global economy, but it's not thought there will be a recession.
Our North America business correspondent Erin Delmore explained what we can expect over the coming days.
This is the Spring IMF conference, the International Monetary Fund, and it's one of the twice yearly meetings.
But this one is really in the spotlight because of course, President Trump's tariffs loom large over this whole week of meetings with a lot of countries figuring out how they are going to pursue or negotiate their own deals to come in below the tariff rates that President Trump and his administration have set and at the same time really questioning whether this administration supports multilateral institutions like the IMF itself.
The IMF of course also gives an economic outlook, don't they?
A sort of temperature test. The last one we had was before Donald Trump of course.
Now ahead of the meetings they've already said the global economy will avoid a recession but I guess we will get an idea of the sort of extent of concern here.
Yeah absolutely and that's because you know a slowdown in global trade could really wreak havoc on all kinds of economies whether it's established economies or developing economies and we do expect to see a report come out this week.
You know it's one of the major underlying questions about President Trump's trade philosophy now because he is looking to completely rewrite the rules of global trade.
And he has cast it as something that the US has been disadvantaged in.
He says that other countries are treating the US unfairly and that these trade deals need to be remade to be more advantageous or more fair to the United States.
But that really does change the economic outlook for other countries, especially those that trade with the states, or really just a shifting of whom other countries might trade with.
Right? None of this occurs in a vacuum.
If the US is buying less goods from someone else, they may find a different trade partner.
And And that's really this reordering and this shifting that we are looking at.
And so, you know, it's really worth mentioning that US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant will be in D .C.
for these meetings.
And we do expect to see him get pulled aside quite often for these just one -on -one talks with countries really jockeying to see who can create a good deal for themselves and get out from under these heavy tariffs that the Trump administration has threatened.
And I feel possibly, Lynn, quite clear the message coming from the IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva in her opening remarks last week saying this uncertainty is what's doing the damage really.
She called on every nation too in her words put their houses in order.
So yeah I mean how important are those face -to -face, like you said those corridor meetings those interactions between big bankers, finance ministers who will all be there to get a bit of clarity perhaps a more coordinated understanding and how to respond to these tariffs?
Right I mean her words were sharp right she said that the growth projections could include notable markdowns, but not recession.
And she said, like you mentioned, that it was due to this off the charts, those are her words, uncertainty and market volatility that the tariffs have caused, right?
And so in the face of that, yes, we are looking at these one -on -one meetings.
And when you ask how important are they?
Well, this has been what President Trump and what his surrogates on the economy have shown to be their favorite approach. You know, President Trump talks often of receiving phone calls from other countries.
He's said that they've received many offers from other countries to renegotiate trade deals.
And he frequently says, I've been on the phone with this finance minister or this leader.
And that one -on -one contact, that personalized bespoke approach really seems to be something that works with this administration.
And so when other countries see the president say, oh, perhaps we're working toward a deal with Japan, a deal with South Korea, a deal with Vietnam, then of course ears perk up and it's thought, okay, well, what can we do to get ahead on that list as well?
And the Trump administration has also insinuated that the first to cut deals might get the best deals.
So as you can imagine, that really creates a jockeying for position.
Absolutely. And of course, all of it is having a major impact on markets, not least in the US.
Wall Street traders just back from the Easter break, and it appears volatility set to continue.
It does. Yeah. You know, it's very hard to find stable footing on Wall Street these days.
And you know, at the very opening of the trading week on Monday, we saw all three major American index is trading in the red, one between 1 and 2 percentage points down, really showing this uncertain and somewhat downlooking economic forecast for the week ahead.
And again, it's based off of uncertainty.
You're with World Business Report from the BBC World Service.
You ever get the feeling the city walls closing in, the concrete jungle suffocating your soul, You crave wide open spaces.
The chance to connect with nature, maybe chase some elk, fish a private stream.
Well, listen up, there's a whole world out there and finding your own piece of it, just got easier.
Head over to land .com.
They've got ranches, forest, mountains, you name it.
Search by acreage, location, the kind of hunting or fishing you dream of, land .com.
It's where the adventure begins.
Asking the right questions can greatly impact your future, especially when it comes to your finances.
So if you're looking for a financial advisor you can trust, certified financial planner professionals are committed to acting in your best interest. That's why it's gotta be a CFP.
Find your CFP Professional at letsmakeplan .org Smuggling in West Africa is by many estimates almost as widespread as the official trade of everyday commodities.
It's said to be costing African governments billions in lost revenue at a time when regular exports are now also under threat due to global tensions.
Well Ed Butler has been to Ghana where he's been looking at the illicit cross -border trade and hearing exclusive testimony from some of those involved.
a gunfight at a border checkpoint in northern Ghana.
But this isn't a straightforward cops and robbers shootout, this exchange occurred bewilderingly between different factions of Ghana's own security forces.
It's something that really baffled many people.
Up to now, it's difficult to tell exactly why the military would intervene in a case like this.
That's local investigative reporter Edward Adeti.
The police command received a tip -off that some people were trying to smuggle some bags of cocoa beans, so after the police stopped their vehicle, the military asked that the police hand over the truck, then at that point, gunfire erupted, the police and then the military started firing at each other.
So, what do we think was going on?
Clearly, this was a police case and there was an accusation level against the commander that actually was the one who was trying to eat the smuggling of the cocoa bean, it still to go.
There's a clear case of corrosion somewhere.
Luckily, no one was seriously hurt in the incident.
The smugglers were eventually prosecuted and the Army Officer who created the standoff – he denied any connection with the smugglers, by the way – he was reassigned to a new post, although the official investigation into the incident has never been published.
While gunfights between different wings of the security forces are thankfully rare, smuggling in this part of West Africa is not.
Smuggling is massive.
All the three frontiers that Ghana has with Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo are highly porous.
That's the Ghanaian political and economic commentator, Bright Semons.
It's primarily consumer goods so people are bringing in a lot of cosmetics, food, canned foods and things like that, alcohol, and then increasingly we also see high -value smuggling of gold and authentic cocoa.
I started driving in 2012 between Ghana and Burkina Faso in Togo.
When the vehicle is full it can be 300 bags so that's a lot of cocoa.
Everyone has to be afraid, because if they catch you doing this you will be arrested.
But it's not just us, it's everyone.
It's the politicians, the leaders in Ghana.
They're all doing it.
Before we leave the depot with the lorry loaded, they have already paid off the customs at the border, so when we get there, often, nobody even checks the car.
As we've heard, allegations of bribery at customs are widespread and it's not just limited to Ghana but all across West Africa.
Well, I have asked the Ghanaian government for a comment in response to these claims. They've yet to reply.
But the head of Ghana's official cocoa board did last year estimate that as much as a third of Ghana's cocoa crop, one of its biggest cash exports, is now being smuggled out illegally, costing the country hundreds of millions of dollars.
That report by Ed Butler and you can hear more from him in today's and tomorrow's editions millions of business daily.
Now, let's go to Dubai.
It's known for its skyscrapers and supercars.
Dubai is expanding its horizons when it comes to advertising.
It's recruiting four students to a new academy, which will see them learn the skills to create and post content to help sell the Dubai dream to tourists and business types alike.
There are nearly 38 million videos on TikTok alone with the hashtag, Dubai.
Jeremy Jaunci is the founder of Beautiful Destinations, which is behind it all, and I asked him why advertising in newspapers or on bus shelters just doesn't seem to cut it anymore.
There's so many different ways to look at it from our standpoint, we're seeing just a huge rise in the influence of social media, how people are turning to these channels for everything from news communication with their friends and family, learning about what's happening around the world, and certainly in our space, learning about where they can travel and where they can stay.
And so we're seeing a really exciting growth, both in how people are spending time on social media to learn about where they want to travel and the places they can stay, but also people who are building careers by educating them themselves and teaching them the skills to actually make content which then drives travel inspiration on social media.
So, we want to try and come in the middle and help join those two dots and educate more people on how to make world -class travel content.
Now I understand you're calling them creators, not influencers.
Explain what that means and what sort of stuff are you expecting them to post?
I mean sunsets and supercars kind of spring to mind.
Well, in this case for us creators are the creative individuals that maybe 10 or 15 years ago, might have worked in more traditional creative agencies.
These are the individuals that have the skills in editing, in sound design, in graphic design in cinematography.
They're very much focused about the skills that sit behind the camera and that's what we're looking for.
So creators, in that respect, versus maybe influencers or front of the camera personalities or, or hosts.
And so for us, there's a lot of value in, in, in working with creators, as you mentioned earlier, in replace perhaps of traditional advertising agencies from a From a content standpoint Dubai is rich in opportunities for stories to tell, there are lots of beaches as you mentioned and yes there are supercars but there are a whole host of amazing things happening around the restaurant scene, around the hotel scene and whether you're young and you're coming to Dubai for the first time and you're single and you're looking to grow your career, whether you're coming across with your family there's lots
to do. I understand you're going to sort of give them some of the tools as well you will be sort of educating and they'll be allowed to post whatever they want.
There's no sort of rules here.
Yeah, so the idea really is to come and be part of the beautiful destinations curriculum.
So we've been running this business now for 12 years during which time we've learned a huge amount about how to actually make the kind of travel content that has impact for destinations and hotels and airlines, the clients that we work with.
And so the idea is to bring people who maybe have an interest and a passion in building this kind of career and then teach them exactly how to do it.
Now what's really special about this opportunity is because we have partnered and are largely supported by the Department of Economy and tourism for Dubai, who are responsible for all of this tourism growth that you've seen here.
They have a dedicated tourism college within the tourism board and that tourism college also has a curriculum, which will be part of what we teach to the winning suppliers.
Now on a serious note, even a quick search of the internet shows hundreds of Brits it seems full foul of Dubai's stricter laws every year as we know they're much far less liberal than say here.
I mean, some people have even been jailed.
What are you doing?
What sort of safeguards can you put in place to make sure people are educated and they protect themselves?
We're working directly with the Department of Economy and Tourism and so I think we have a very, very good way of introducing people to how they should live and create content here in Dubai.
Because of the support that we're receiving, we're able to take people to all the places in the city that they'd like to make content to do in a very safe and secure way.
We're with them the whole time.
We have mentors who are part of the beautiful destinations community, creators themselves who've been through our programs and spent time with us over the years as a core part of the experience, as well as employees within the company.
So anyone that applies is very well looked after when they are here, and in many ways, sort of has a key to come around the city and make content in amazing places with the full support of the Department of Economy and Tourism and also beautiful destinations.
And are you feeling that this could be the start of a new method of holiday advertising?
Do you think this could take off as it were in other countries?
Very much so. I mean, we've, as I said, built our careers in this business for the last 12 years, is focusing on this idea that you can leverage the creator economy and new ways of making content to add impact and add value to the travel and tourism industry.
So we're very, very excited about the future growth of our business and what this means.
And so we're excited to bring people along for the ride.
Jeremy Jaunci there, hoping that a new breed of creators can influence tourism in Dubai and who knows, maybe other holiday destinations too.
Well, that's it for today.
Don't forget a podcast of World Business Report is always available by searching for BBC World Business Report.
Do email us as well.
We're at world .business at bbc .co .uk.
Thanks for listening.
You are with us on The BBC World Service.
Asking the right questions can greatly impact your future, especially when it comes to your finances.
So if you're looking for a financial advisor you can trust, certified financial planner professionals are committed to acting in your best interest. That's why it's gotta be a CFP.
Find your CFP professional at Let's Make a Plan .org.
