South African President Jacob Zuma ended a three-day trip to China last week with a raft of trade deals intended to shore up South Africa's status as a "gateway to China" for the natural resources that fuel the Asian giant's rapid growth.

The four day mega-event, organized by the Government of India in association with the High Commission and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is a major drive to push trade and business ties in the African continent.

But for those of us who are working with corporations to tackle big global problems, the financial reform bill’s provisions raise three important questions: 1. What change are we seeking to achieve? 2. How can we achieve that change? 3. What is the responsible role of the private sector?

Prime Minister David Cameron brought six cabinet members and more than 30 senior executives from leading British firms with him, in what Indian media described as the biggest delegation to visit since independence from Britain in 1947.

Latin America already has significant Chinese investments and trade agreements under its belt, but the region could set its sights on another resource-hungry Asian giant: India. A new report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recognizes that, even though Latin America’s commercial ties with India have been on the upswing in recent years, more could be done to build up the South Asian country as a Latin American market.

Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer is threatening to sabotage the bill banning fur imports, following pressure from foreign ambassadors. Ben-Eliezer said the bill would damage Israel's trade ties with many countries and could cause a diplomatic crisis: Some states fear that Israel's far-reaching legislation would make other countries follow its lead.

After reaching a sweeping trade agreement, Taiwan and China face the challenge of persuading the island's 23 million people that Beijing has no ulterior political motives, analysts said.

International relations will be pegged on the concept of economic and trade diplomacy and strategic alliances with global economic blocs, President Mwai Kibaki said in Nairobi last week. The President affirmed that Kenya must align itself with economic blocs of strategic importance and forge deep ties with strong economic powers internationally.