For the first time, de Koning said, imports to China are growing faster than exports out of China. He expects India to show similar growth patterns in the next few years, projecting that the nation will reach a “certain wealth rate.”
De Koning notes some timidity among Asian companies, however, due to the European debt crisis. “What I’m seeing is that when I do sales in China, Asian customers are a little bit scared because they’re afraid that what happens in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal also happens to the other countries, like France, the Netherlands and Germany,” de Koning told Air Cargo World.
“So you see, out of the exporting countries in Asia, a hesitance, and also in a number of projects that we have for customers from China and Taiwan,” he added.
Even so, IJS Global sees a lot of potential in Asia — and especially its neighbor to the south, Australia. Citing the nation’s very stable economic growth, de Koning said Australia has also emerged as a key trade lane, with links to the U.S., Europe and China.
Plus, de Koning said, IJS Global has a very strong team in Australia, which opens up growth possibilities. “You can have a strategy about where you want to open up offices, but you can better have a strategy about where you have a good team,” he told Air Cargo World. “They can grow the business.”