Groupon, which is hoping to gain a foothold in China, may have suffered considerable damage to its brand.

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GM's main foothold in China, a half-empty factory making Buicks for local bureaucrats, may be going nowhere much, but at least it is there, unlike Ford.

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Moreover, in the case of Syria, China is winning not only new oil business for CNPC and SINOPEC but also an economic foothold for China in the E.

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The plan gives China's biggest domestic carmaker a foothold in the second-fastest-growing car market in the world (after China itself), and helps cash-strapped GM mount a more vigorous push into India, where it has struggled for years to reach its target of 10% market share.

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Other Icelandic authorities believe the intent is to gain a foothold for China for future deepwater drilling in the Arctic as global warming opens up the northern climes.

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Italy's Fiat SpA, a latecomer to China, is hoping an SUV will help it gain a foothold in a market where it set up its first joint venture just three years ago.

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Nokia was late on the scene when dual-sim phones became a rage in emerging markets, such as India, China and Africa, allowing local vendors to gain a foothold on a market it used to dominate not so long ago.

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