China, Asia – “But if Asia is the next big thing, how can Western companies participate? Clearly, that growth in middle class consumerism to 1.75 billion people across Asia by 2020 is going to be a huge draw for Western corporations that “make stuff.” However, if you’re not familiar with Asia, then you need a base to start. Singapore is probably the most logical – it’s the center of ASEAN, houses the APEC secretariat and is the de facto regional services, finance and intelligence hub for Asia. It also has a low tax rate – 17 percent profits tax on corporations. It also possesses, through its membership of ASEAN, free trade agreements with both China and India, a whole raft of bilateral double tax treaties with many countries around the world and a free trade agreement with the United States. “