The traditional boundaries of our geopolitical-economic world maps are being challenged (Simonin, 2008), a process referred to as globalisation. Or as popular analysts like Friedman (2005) like to indicate, “The world is becoming flat”. Globalisation may be defined as the broadening and deepening of linkages between national economies into a worldwide market for goods, services and especially capital (Cho, 2001). The financial crises and the global economic recession in their aftermath has shown indeed that national economies are heavily interdependent. This has fed nationalist and more protectionist voices, and their ideas have gained ground. However, another consequence of globalisation spreading has been a global economic power shift: emerging and recently emerged countries, especially in Asia, have become economic power houses. For many developed economies, supporting internationalisation of their economies is one of the few options available. This is a major reason why many developed economies have started to focus on commercial diplomacy. Governments have reshaped and implemented policies and services that can support their home country businesses in their international endeavours.
