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Opinion | The biggest worry for Chinese firms in India isn’t the border dispute, it’s finding staff

From chefs to CEOs, there is growing demand for savvy young Chinese who can help to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers in India

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Huawei’s research and development centre in Bangalore. More Chinese companies are moving to India – and there is growing demand for Chinese staff. Photo: AFP

The two-month border standoff between China and India is not a huge concern for the Chinese business community in India because few are expecting a full-fledged war between the two Asian giants.

The biggest worry for them is the chronic shortage of Chinese staff in India.

This can be seen most clearly in the case of two Chinese mobile phone companies in the southern city of Bangalore, known as Asia’s Silicon Valley, who engaged in a fierce contest to hire someone with highly prized skills: a Chinese chef.

The chef has been living in India for a few years and can speak basic English – a skill that makes him particularly in demand as it means he can run a kitchen independently.

This scenario is just one example of a problem that is commonly faced by Chinese entrepreneurs in India – while their businesses are expanding, the talent pool of people with knowledge of both countries is limited.

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