The two big gaps in the US major's Asian presence (and gaping gaps they indeed are) are cracker complexes in India and China.
China could be fixed through the alliance with PIC - meaning, Dow has leverage to get a license to build a naphtha cracker complex by offering crude supply through its new jv.
Atlernatively, it could achieve te same objective by completing its methanol-to-olefins project.
But India remains blocked by Bhopal. One wonders why a company with the wisdom of Down cannot work its way through the ever-in-flux Indian system, but maybe no foreigner can without the support of a strong local partner.
This is not meant to make light of the lingering misery of one of the world's worst chemical disasters, but the motives of some of those petitioning for more money are perhaps a shade dubious.
What's certain is that the issues cannot be as simple as portrayed in this Voice of America article.