In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

While debt-ridden Greece struggles to get its head out of the troubled waters of economic, financial, and now social turmoil, one of the few hands reaching out to help is not only from the expected European Union-International Monetary Fund tandem – but from a far less expected and more recent friend: China.

> More

On April 12, Dhaka was vibrating with excitement as residents celebrated the first day of Bengali New Year, or Pahela Baishakh. Lavish, colorful street parties mixed in with bicycles, rickshaws, cars, and motorbikes added…

> More

One month after the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the Japanese are still coping with an incredible accumulation of sorrow, devastation, and anxiety about the future. Beyond the most urgent question of how Japan will recover from such a calamitous situation, a secondary concern is the potential human, environmental, and economic impact the crisis will have on the rest of Asia. Economists seem to agree that the disaster is not likely to pose a significant, long-term risk to the global economy.

> More

One year ago in this blog, Asia Foundation chief economist Bruce Tolentino expressed “cautious optimism” about the prospects for global recovery and Asian growth in 2010. His positive prediction for Asia was more than fulfilled, in spite of a dispiriting lag in U.S. recovery and severe economic crises in the Eurozone. In 2010, Asia’s diverse [...]

> More

What unfolded on October 2 between China and Greece is compelling, marking China’s biggest pledge of support for in-debt euro-zone nations. On his week-long tour of Europe, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made his first stop in Athens, where he offered to buy Greek government bonds to help the struggling nation overcome its debt burden and, [...]

> More

In Bangladesh, where the 2010 Economic Governance Index – which measures and ranks business environments across 19 districts – was just released, the capital city of Dhaka did not perform among the top districts. Of course, in terms of business performance and investment, Dhaka remains Bangladesh’s single most important city. With nearly 10 percent of [...]

> More

With an average annual growth reaching nearly double digits in the decade leading up to the recent global financial and economic crisis, Cambodia’s economy has performed well. Many national and international economists and organizations, including the World Bank, predict that the country is on its way to a faster recovery than initially expected, and could [...]

> More

Any casual observer walking through the heart of a district capital like Bangladesh’s northeastern city of Sylhet or Rangpur, further north, would be impressed by the bustling economic activity. In the early morning, streets are filled with colorful trucks honking their way toward the market place. Their paths are crossed by overloaded rickshaws delivering raw [...]

> More

Just months ago, Choeung would never have dreamt of speaking in public. If told that he would speak in front of more than 300 people, including high-ranking officials, several deputy governors from seven provinces, and an under secretary of state, he would have laughed at such a good joke, and his fellow fishermen would have [...]

> More

Never short of innovative ideas and certainly not lacking entrepreneurship, Cambodian businesswomen have now created a Facebook page to network and exchange tips and ideas about doing business in the Kingdom. More than 200 businesswomen, professionals, students, academics, and even male supporters, have already joined the group to share economic, social, and cultural challenges faced [...]

> More