Singapore - China, India and South-East Asia are seen as the hottest and riskiest markets for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the near future, a survey found Tuesday.

The survey, commissioned by Marsh, Mercer and Kroll, comes despite questionable business practices, problems with local intellectual property regimes and insufficient financial recourse against sellers, said the report.

The findings published in The Business Times found that 57 per cent of the 670 respondents ranked China, India and South-East Asia as most attractive over the next 18 months, followed by North America at 43 per cent, Western Europe at 41 per cent and Eastern Europe at 31 per cent.

Despite the perceived risk of investing in China, India and South- East Asia, "the level of M&A activity in recent years suggests that the expected reward is much stronger," Karen Beldy Torborg, head of Marsh's private equity practice, was quoted as saying.

"We are witnessing a fundamental shift of the global business landscape, with companies all around the world eyeing the potential of these countries and ramping up their investment and presence." (dpa)