0:00:02 > 0:00:16Now on BBC News, all the latest business news live from Singapore.
0:00:16 > 0:00:22The stream of high-level Europeans visiting China continues as French
0:00:22 > 0:00:27President Macron comes calling on Chinese president Xi. ARU filing for
0:00:27 > 0:00:33divorce in India? Well, there it is an app for that, find out how to
0:00:33 > 0:00:42navigate the legal system online. Welcome to Asia Business Report.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47China appears to be the place to visit among western leaders this
0:00:47 > 0:00:54month. Last week the UK's trade Secretary Ian Fox was in Beijing
0:00:54 > 0:00:58laying the groundwork for a trade agreement and now French President
0:00:58 > 0:01:03Macron is on his first state visit to Asia since his victory in the
0:01:03 > 0:01:08election last year. Our reporter is here with the latest.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12That is right. It is an obvious choice for President Macron. China
0:01:12 > 0:01:17is the biggest economy in Asia. There are reports already that
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Airbus is in talks to sell 100 planes to China in a deal worth over
0:01:22 > 0:01:26$10 billion. It is quite interesting, because of what
0:01:26 > 0:01:30President Macron has said in his New Year is a statement, in which he has
0:01:30 > 0:01:38urged the need for a stronger Europe to face China. Let's have a listen.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43TRANSLATION:We need to be and more sovereign, more united, more
0:01:43 > 0:01:51democratic Europe. I deeply believe Europe can become the economic,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55social, environmentally friendly, scientific power that will be able
0:01:55 > 0:02:01to face China and the United States. Well, of course, President Xi
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Jinping wants to achieve the China dream and France remains cautious of
0:02:06 > 0:02:11its many financial and governance pitfalls, but President Macron wants
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Chinese investment and for China after Brexit, France and Germany
0:02:16 > 0:02:20likely to replace the UK and the financial hub for the EU, so there
0:02:20 > 0:02:23is a lot to talk about. Thank you for that.
0:02:23 > 0:02:29January eight is called "Divorce day" because of a surge in request
0:02:29 > 0:02:33from couples considering ending their marriages after the holiday.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37In India extended families have given way to nuclear families in
0:02:37 > 0:02:42urban areas and more women are working, so there is less dependence
0:02:42 > 0:02:46on their spouses for financial security. And although divorce is on
0:02:46 > 0:02:51the rise, the stigma remains. One divorce lawyer in Mumbai is trying
0:02:51 > 0:02:52to help.
0:03:02 > 0:03:10When you have everything at the press of an app, why not a lawyer? I
0:03:10 > 0:03:15got married into a very wealthy Indian family, and after one half
0:03:15 > 0:03:21years of their marriage they decided to file for a divorce. I had no idea
0:03:21 > 0:03:27how to go about my life, and that is when my journey started. Divorce
0:03:27 > 0:03:31rates in India are increasing manifold. About ten years ago, there
0:03:31 > 0:03:37were only 20 matters on board in the family Court in Mumbai. Today, when
0:03:37 > 0:03:43you go, there are 60 to 70 matters on each floor -- Family Court. And
0:03:43 > 0:03:44we have seven floors.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53Probably the smallest person you have ever seen in your whole life. I
0:03:53 > 0:03:59met five or six lawyers. With every lawyer I had to pay them
0:03:59 > 0:04:06consultation. For just the basic thing, which is the divorce card.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11Divorce in India is so stigmatised that, you know, the petition
0:04:11 > 0:04:17actually becomes like a human being devouring every aspect of you,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21socially you are ostracised, financially you are broke.
0:04:26 > 0:04:33With advanced technological as well as financial changes that our
0:04:33 > 0:04:40country is going through, divorce is definitely here to stay. And I think
0:04:40 > 0:04:44after four or five years that will explode and that is where
0:04:44 > 0:04:48information, counselling portals and other portals like mine will become
0:04:48 > 0:04:55very, very handy, because, you know, we will be ahead of the curve.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Now, it looks like the future of digital currency will stir
0:05:00 > 0:05:03controversy in 2018. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said
0:05:03 > 0:05:07recently he is trying to figure out how the social media giant can use
0:05:07 > 0:05:11cryptocurrency. At the same time the US securities regulator is warning
0:05:11 > 0:05:16investors of the risk in investing. What are some of the top investors
0:05:16 > 0:05:21in the world think? I spoke with one international investor Jim Rogers
0:05:21 > 0:05:26and asked him about his position.I have never bought one or sold one,
0:05:26 > 0:05:31obviously. Of course I do. If it was something that went up 2000 times,
0:05:31 > 0:05:36of course I would regret I don't own it. I do know that our money
0:05:36 > 0:05:42problems are going to be solved by the Internet. Whether it is Bitcoin
0:05:42 > 0:05:45or not, I doubt it, because government state like losing
0:05:45 > 0:05:49control. But we will have Internet money eventually. How it is going to
0:05:49 > 0:05:53do it, maybe government will do it. If you go to China, they don't have
0:05:53 > 0:05:58money. If you want to buy a cup of tea you put your phone down and you
0:05:58 > 0:06:02own it. If you want to buy a car you put your phone down and you own it.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06It is astonishing. No one has money. Technically, as you say, you need
0:06:06 > 0:06:10regulation behind it. So would you save Bitcoin is the resource you
0:06:10 > 0:06:14would put your money into, versus gold.I own goals and I haven't sold
0:06:14 > 0:06:21any gold. I am not buying gold but I do own it. You have heard of IBM.
0:06:21 > 0:06:28They did not invent the computer. He didn't here of the company that
0:06:28 > 0:06:36invented the computer. They are all gone -- You didn't hear. Maybe it is
0:06:36 > 0:06:41the American cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency will say, we are
0:06:41 > 0:06:46smarter than the government. Of course. But the government says,
0:06:46 > 0:06:50this is the way it is going to be, then be careful.Jim Rogers speaking
0:06:50 > 0:06:55to me about 2018. Now, once cars are self driving, you
0:06:55 > 0:06:59will be able to do something else with your time, rather than dig your
0:06:59 > 0:07:03eyes on the road. So what might you get up to? That the international
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, one company is creating an
0:07:08 > 0:07:13electric car to compete with the likes of Tesla. Our reporter Dave
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Lee said it is essentially a computer on wheels and he sent this
0:07:16 > 0:07:21exclusive report.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48The vision behind Byton is we want to be the company bringing into the
0:07:48 > 0:07:51market the first real smart car.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01What we want to do is try to merge your life outside of the car with
0:08:01 > 0:08:05your experience in the car. Everything will be controlled via
0:08:05 > 0:08:10touch and then certain aspects of it will be controlled via voice, and
0:08:10 > 0:08:13also very novel to us is gesture control.
0:08:17 > 0:08:24The key is about customisation. When you're in drive mode we will
0:08:24 > 0:08:29actually disable certain features. You won't be able to get into watch
0:08:29 > 0:08:33videos, for instance. What we want to try to build is a platform,
0:08:33 > 0:08:38where, when there is a time of no driving, all occupants in the car,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41including the driver, have the ability to interact.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Some of the most exciting features of the Byton car will be disabled
0:08:45 > 0:08:49until we live in a world of fully autonomous driving, so perhaps think
0:08:49 > 0:08:54of this vehicle as bridging the gap between our dumb driving past and
0:08:54 > 0:08:57our smart driving future.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25We have to come together and share this infrastructure across the
0:09:25 > 0:09:29companies, because this is not a differentiating factor, this is
0:09:29 > 0:09:33something which makes the whole industry succeed.
0:09:51 > 0:09:57Sneak peek of the Byton car. In other news, Japanese Prime Minister
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Shinzo Abe wants the bank of Japan governor to keep up efforts to
0:10:01 > 0:10:06reflate the economy, how Heather he is unclear if the man in charge
0:10:06 > 0:10:13should stay in the job -- however. He was handpicked in 2013 to
0:10:13 > 0:10:16implement Abenomics, the stimulus package meant to jumpstart the
0:10:16 > 0:10:20economy. So far it has helped to boost growth but it has failed to
0:10:20 > 0:10:23drive up inflation to the bank's target of 2%.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27And let's have a quick look through the markets before we go, because
0:10:27 > 0:10:31here in Asia they're continuing to make gains. Australia's flat but of
0:10:31 > 0:10:35course it is at 10-year highs because of gains we saw on Wall
0:10:35 > 0:10:41Street last week. And that is it for this edition of Asia