In The News

Pan-Asian Biotech Federation Formed

February 23, 2005
The global technological center of gravity seems to be slowly shifting away from the developed world towards Asian countries like India. Recognizing that their scientific prowess commands increasing respect on the world stage, leading biotech associations across the continent joined together this month to accelerate Asian scientific development. At the recent BioAsia 2005 conference in Hyderabad...

The Pull of the West

Stefan Wagstyl February 22, 2005
When the governments of several Eastern European countries succeeded in joining the EU last year, the voice of protest was loud among the citizenry. Yet recently, opinion polls show a significant growth in approval rates for EU membership, reflecting the growing visibility of economic and political membership benefit. On the economic end, new member countries in Eastern Europe have seen...

China Shows the Way in a Quota-Free Market

Linda Lim February 21, 2005
The recent end of the textile quota regime introduced freer trade to the global market. Predictably, nations who stood to lose market share - mostly to China - have cried out in anguish. According to Linda Lim, restricting Chinese exports is a short-sighted and ineffective strategy: "One would do better to learn from Chinese example of smart investment and management to thrive in a...

Asia-Pacific Travel Set for Strong Growth in 2005

Ven Sreenivasan February 16, 2005
High fuel prices, the avian flu, and Indian Ocean tsunami disasters don't seem to have negatively affected Asia's tourist industry, says a report issued by a major ticketing and distribution company. In fact, "the trials of the past few years had taught the industry to better manage crises." The 40 percent growth rate in Asia's tourism is the fastest of any region in the...

US Resolution Reveals Distrust of China, EU

February 4, 2005
As Brussels decides to suspend the 15-year-long arms embargo against China, European and Chinese politicians continue to nurture their flourishing relationship. Meanwhile, Washington remains anxious about the possible implications for regional geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific region – especially across the Taiwan Strait. According to this People's Daily commentary, a new US legislative...

Fakes!

Frederik Balfour February 2, 2005
Counterfeiting is a criminal activity that costs the global economy billions every year. The manufacturers of fake goods have become increasingly professional, their wares often indistinguishable from the real things. And by slipping counterfeit products – or parts of products – into the supply chain at different stages, they have slipped seamlessly into the world market. China is central to...

How Globalization Train is Overrunning Nigeria

Etim Imisim January 27, 2005
A member of the World Trade Organization for the past ten years, Nigeria should be well-situated to reap the benefits of free trade. Yet thanks to a set of domestic and international factors, the country may even be sliding backwards. In an interview with Nigerian newspaper This Day, development expert Bankole Olubamise argues gloomily that much has gone afoul in Africa's most populous...