:00:00. > :00:00.criticised over the way it investigated patients deaths. She
:00:00. > :00:00.will take on a similar role for the same salary. Now it is Asia Business
:00:07. > :00:18.Report. Riding the rain. Farmers in India
:00:19. > :00:23.are helping the economy, but is it enough to remain the world's fastest
:00:24. > :00:29.growing economy? And a new field of play. It is not Europe, but Asia. We
:00:30. > :00:45.speak to Manchester United about its strategy for China. Good morning,
:00:46. > :00:47.Asia. Hello, world. I'm Rico Hizon. Thank you for joining us on Asia
:00:48. > :00:51.Business Report. Later today we will find out if India is still the
:00:52. > :00:55.fastest growing economy when the latest GDP figures are released.
:00:56. > :01:01.India has already edged past China with annual growth rate of more than
:01:02. > :01:04.7.5%. But maintaining such strong numbers will largely depend on the
:01:05. > :01:11.weather. We travelled to a rural village to find out why. Each drop
:01:12. > :01:17.of rain rings a certain amount of relief for the people living in
:01:18. > :01:22.India's countryside. Three severe droughts had devastated many places
:01:23. > :01:25.like this across India. There was no water for farmers to drink, let
:01:26. > :01:35.alone growing crops with. This man has been growing corn for a long
:01:36. > :01:38.time, but he has found it difficult to feed his children for many years.
:01:39. > :01:43.With no force of income, he has been forced to live outside his means.
:01:44. > :01:48.TRANSLATION: I want life to get better now. Hopefully I will earn
:01:49. > :01:56.enough this harvest season to pay for my children's education and feed
:01:57. > :02:00.them properly. I also have a debt of $4000 which will take a few years to
:02:01. > :02:04.pay off. But things could get better for millions of farmers across India
:02:05. > :02:08.soon because of the good monsoon this year. Nearly two thirds of
:02:09. > :02:15.India's population lives in rural areas like this. So while we hear a
:02:16. > :02:18.lot about booming cities in India, it is still the countryside which
:02:19. > :02:22.plays a crucial role in driving the economy. Because most able here are
:02:23. > :02:28.farming, at the height of that is the monsoon. If it doesn't rain, the
:02:29. > :02:34.crops don't grow it, and if it is too much, they get real. So it puts
:02:35. > :02:42.more money into their pockets to spend. That is good news for Indian
:02:43. > :02:46.firms which make products like toothpaste and soap. Demand from
:02:47. > :02:50.small towns and villages make up almost half of sales. And companies
:02:51. > :02:57.like these are expecting rural demand to boost profits this year.
:02:58. > :03:07.Rural always grow faster than urban India last ten years. That is
:03:08. > :03:13.expected to be doubled. It is a good start. But growth investment will be
:03:14. > :03:18.crucial to lifting these farmers out of poverty and making them less
:03:19. > :03:24.dependent on the weather. This year, the farmers are seeing the monsoon
:03:25. > :03:27.is a blessing. And with the harvest over a month away, they are looking
:03:28. > :03:36.forward to see the rewards of their hard work. BBC News, India. Staying
:03:37. > :03:40.with India, thousands of rickshaw drivers have gone on strike in
:03:41. > :03:44.Mumbai after the lack of regulations. And other union
:03:45. > :03:55.covering taxi and rickshaw drivers is due to meet the government to
:03:56. > :04:00.address concerns. Rickshaws are the main mode of transport in India. We
:04:01. > :04:07.will go live to Mumbai for the latest in the next hour. Shares in
:04:08. > :04:17.the largest shipping company in China fell. The decision could push
:04:18. > :04:20.it closer with its debts piling up over the last five years. Like many
:04:21. > :04:24.in the industry, it has been hit hard by the slowing global economy
:04:25. > :04:29.and lower freight rates. Justin Trudeau has arrived in Beijing on a
:04:30. > :04:34.trip which was supposed to be about deepening Canada's relationship with
:04:35. > :04:40.China. Despite the fanfare, a spat over canola exports in China is
:04:41. > :04:43.overshadowing this visit. While China is pushing for a free trade
:04:44. > :04:48.deal with Canada, recent polls suggest Canadians are hesitant about
:04:49. > :04:57.closer ties. Nearly half of them support free trade with China, but
:04:58. > :05:03.only 11% back investments by Chinese state-owned companies in the
:05:04. > :05:09.country. I asked how Justin Trudeau's welcome compares to that
:05:10. > :05:12.of his predecessor, Stephen Harper. The Justin Trudeau family has a
:05:13. > :05:17.long-standing relationship with China. His father, Prime Minister
:05:18. > :05:26.during the 70s, originally opened up relationships with China. So, given
:05:27. > :05:31.how generational the relationship is, there will be a lot of focus on
:05:32. > :05:39.this. Relations between Ottawa and Beijing goes all the way back to the
:05:40. > :05:43.1970s. But in this meeting, there are contentious issues, especially
:05:44. > :05:49.tougher restrictions on canola trade which kicks in tomorrow! It is not a
:05:50. > :05:53.great situation. China is very eager to sign a Free Trade Agreement with
:05:54. > :05:58.Canada. China feels a little left out because of the TPP agreement
:05:59. > :06:02.which they were not a part of. And I think they are trying to make some
:06:03. > :06:10.incentives for Canada to sign an agreement with them. All right. Free
:06:11. > :06:14.Trade Agreement is also in the works between Canada and China, but, umm,
:06:15. > :06:21.will Canada really benefit from it? If we indeed get into an FTA with
:06:22. > :06:24.the Chinese we will see a larger trade deficit between the two
:06:25. > :06:31.countries which favoured the mainland. That is my point on the
:06:32. > :06:36.issue. Unless there was real movement with the financial services
:06:37. > :06:39.sector in China, the opening up of beef imports into China, which are
:06:40. > :06:43.things the Chinese government are unlikely to give, I am not sure how
:06:44. > :06:49.Canada is going to expand trade from any expanded Free Trade Agreement.
:06:50. > :07:01.Will there be any benefit for the Canadians if they join China's
:07:02. > :07:06.initiative of the Asian Investment and Infrastructure Bank? A
:07:07. > :07:10.unilateral world dominated by the US for a long time is another issue.
:07:11. > :07:14.The idea of multiple large nations having a say is something Justin
:07:15. > :07:22.Trudeau favours. I expect Canada to move quicker on that then free trade
:07:23. > :07:27.between the two countries. Joining us live Shanghai. Now to the
:07:28. > :07:33.business of sport. Today marks the transfer deadline of football where
:07:34. > :07:36.we will get the full picture of the multi million-dollar deals.
:07:37. > :07:43.Manchester United have ready signed this man with great dance moves,
:07:44. > :07:50.Paul Pogba 48 ?9 million from Juventus. That is 117 million
:07:51. > :07:57.dollars. Football has a huge fan base in Asia.
:07:58. > :08:08.The first aim is to connect meaningfully with the fans. So, in
:08:09. > :08:16.years gone by, I was told how amazed they were. We scored, and people
:08:17. > :08:25.come out on the balcony on the block of flats opposite cheering. In the
:08:26. > :08:29.past, TV audiences reached fans, and they continue to be the most watched
:08:30. > :08:35.thing in modern culture on TV. For the club, you know, the job is for
:08:36. > :08:44.them to use the benefits of social media to correct directly with fans.
:08:45. > :08:49.APPLAUSE. In terms of the commercial strategy that goes with that, that
:08:50. > :08:54.follows, you know, commercial success follows connection with the
:08:55. > :08:57.fans. That is the benefit of doing things the right way rather than
:08:58. > :09:02.just setting out to make money without doing the hard yards first.
:09:03. > :09:07.The strategy in China has been successful over the years, with a
:09:08. > :09:16.long-term strategy with multi- year partners. We have seen great results
:09:17. > :09:21.from connecting greatly with fans. It is going very well. We are very
:09:22. > :09:27.fortunate. It is one of the things that you are taught when you join
:09:28. > :09:31.the club. We stand on the shoulders of giants. People have been at this
:09:32. > :09:36.club for more than 40 years. The reputation the club has four the
:09:37. > :09:44.partnerships and the friendships it is built over that period is second
:09:45. > :09:47.to none. So, the fortunate thing for someone in my position is when we
:09:48. > :09:54.get in touch with someone we want to speak to their is a natural interest
:09:55. > :09:57.on their part. They already understand in a large part what
:09:58. > :10:01.Manchester United represents and what it stands for. Then it is only
:10:02. > :10:06.a short conversation to explain what it is capable for them as a
:10:07. > :10:11.business. From Manchester United. Before we go, a quick look at the
:10:12. > :10:15.markets. Currently mixed as you can see. The Nikkei is up 44 points to
:10:16. > :10:23.two the weakness of the Japanese yen against the US dollar. The All Ords
:10:24. > :10:28.Index is down 18 points, a third of a percent. Thank you for joining us.
:10:29. > :10:34.I am Rico Hizon. Sport is up next. Have a great Wednesday.
:10:35. > :10:41.I am Ben Bland. The top stories. Singapore's Ministry of Health
:10:42. > :10:42.advisers all women with