, Columnist
Forget India's Fosun Snub. Watch Trains
A tactical slight won't nix all future deals, though strategic rail investment may suffer.
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When New Delhi rebuffed Hutchison Port Holdings Ltd.'s overtures one last time, the South China Morning Post described the fate of Li Ka-shing's partners seeking to enter the Indian container trade with him as the "kiss of death."
That was in 2006, and the "no entry" sign placed before Hong Kong's richest tycoon -- ostensibly for being chummy with mainland Chinese leadership -- was for ports, which India viewed as a strategic asset. The ban didn't prevent Li from running a successful mobile phone business in the country.