Asia Pacific
Back to homepageArab Countries In Transition: Where are they Heading?
By Masood Ahmed Director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” — Egyptian Nobel Prize–winning author
Read MorePM Shinawatra: Power through the Democratic Process
PM Yingluck Shinawatra easily survived a vote of no confidence in the Thai House of Representatives on November 28th this year. Polls also show her as having the confidence of the electorate as she ponders her first eighteen months in
Read MoreDr Mahathir Bin Mohamad says: “Face up to the New Economic Reality”
Dr Mohamad, an active man despite his 86 years, tends to lecture Europe on money matters. As a national developer of proven ability and great success we are inclined to at least listen. Our Hero from Malaysia has certainly done
Read MoreInternational Chamber of Commerce: G20 Openness Could Improve
Presenting pre-findings of an ICC Open Markets Index at an international business dialogue in Paris on March 4th, ICC Chairman Gerard Worms said that government authorities equipped with better information on their country’s market performance were better able to honour
Read MoreThe International Financial Institutions: Collaboration for Development and Growth
Leaders of the African Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Inter-American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank Group pledged on February 26, 2013 close collaboration to support development and growth. The leaders emphasized the need
Read MoreIMF Support for Sri Lanka’s Economic Reform Programme
An IMF staff mission visited Colombo January 30 – February 13 to discuss possible financial support for Sri Lanka’s economic reform agenda under an Extended Fund Facility. The mission met with government and Central Bank officials, as well as representatives
Read MoreFrontier Asia and Hopes for More Inclusive Growth
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on January 28th held a conference in Bangkok, entitled “Frontier Asia: Economic Transformation and Inclusive Growth.” The conference brought together ministers, central bank governors, other senior policymakers and
Read MoreProspects for Freer Exchange of China’s Currency
China’s currency, the renminbi (RMB), will probably not supplant the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, except possibly “in the very long term”, said Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University, and a former US Treasury
Read MoreGlobal FDI Recovery Stalls in 2012
Macroeconomic fragility and policy uncertainty for investors has led to an 18 per cent decline in global foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows last year, to an estimated $1.3 trillion, the United Nations said in a new report released on January
Read MoreAsia in 2013: Grounds for Optimism, but Challenges Ahead
By Anoop Singh Director, IMF Asia and Pacific Department After a subdued economic performance in emerging Asia in 2012, growth in the region is set to pick up gradually in 2013 helped by external demand and accommodative monetary policy. At
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