"Double-digit growth should no longer be the aim for PRC. It is the quality of that growth that should count and much will depend on establishing greater equality between coastal and inland areas. Efforts should be made to set up strong growth centers in cities such as Xi'an, Chengdu and Kunming to drive the growth of medium and small cities in those regions.

This would create productive employment for local people and reduce the number of rural migrants moving to the already overcrowded coastal cities or to Beijing, where water is scarce. The Chinese economy is expected to overtake that of the U.S. around 2030. But of greater long-term importance is how the government can create a sustainable living environment for 1.3 billion people. Social equality is crucial for China's next 20 to 30 years of development. For this, the leadership will have to approach development much more cleverly than before."

"Removing barriers to trade and investment will help advance integration efforts in South Asia and deliver sweeping benefits to the region, a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) study shows. The study, Intraregional Trade and Investment in South Asia, was prepared by ADB, in partnership with the Australian Agency for International Development.

The study, which uses an updated econometric model and taps industry and country data, notes that cutting barriers to trade will deliver a broad range of economic and welfare benefits across the region. This includes an expansion of South Asia's key clothing and textiles sector, which is expected to increase women's employment and decrease the gender wage gap."

"Sri Lanka's central bank is in a battle to dampen high public inflation expectations after capping price rises in the island's capital Colombo to low single digits for more than a year. In 2009 the Central Bank is hoping to end the year with inflation at 3.5 percent after seeing only a 1.4 percent rise in the widely watched Colombo Consumer Price Index in the twelve months to October, compared to 28.2 percent in June 2008.

The central bank says it is concerned about an asset price bubble, with persistent excess liquidity in the banking system -- largely generated from external flows -- while credit to real economic activities from banks contracted for most of the year. 'We are hoping that our monetary policy as well as other real economy initiatives that the government is hoping to implement will be able to keep inflation below 5.0 percent even next year,' the Central Bank said."

"Nepal's sustainable and so-called inclusive growth through macroeconomic reform programs is under scrutiny. People are deprived of life's basic necessities. Affordable and quality healthcare and education are unavailable. The majority of the working poor face food insecurity. Safety nets are essential to safeguard the vulnerable.

Global economic growth cannot bring optimism for Nepal as the country was experiencing a low growth rate even before the world was hit by the financial crisis. The country experienced long periods of low growth and is consistently and relatively behind its neighbors in the region."

"The Philippines is rocking the world of rice trade as it prepares to buy a record 600,000 metric tons of grade B white rice via open tender. Manila's largest single tender volume to date was announced just five days after a tender for 250,000 tons. It is also the second frontloading for 2010 supplies.

What international trade will read from this is the seriousness of the shortage situation in the Philippines. We are talking about an importation of about 1 million tons in less than 30 days. Rice prices may increase by about 20 to 30 percent due to increased demand, tightening global supply, and increasing oil prices."

"A proposal to increase Ho Chi Minh City water prices by between 35 and 89 percent has been met with staunch opposition from experts and officials. The price of household water in the city would rise from VND2,700 ($0.15) to VND4,800 ($0.27) per cubic meter, while water for production would hike to VND8,500 from VND4,500, according to a plan submitted by Saigon Water Supply Corporation (SAWACO).

Water experts from the Asia Development Bank say consumers can spend up to 3 percent of their monthly income on water fees. Prices would be a burden as electricity, telephone and tuition fees were also rising. One expert feels the poor would not be able to afford water after the increase and would instead dig for well water, which can contaminate crucial supplies of groundwater."

"Jakarta's roads are often inextricably clogged, lack of running water is chronic and power blackouts a daily occurrence for many. A lack of proper urban planning makes life in Jakarta a hard slog for a vast number of its residents. Gov. Fauzi Bowo has vowed to continue his administration's drive for a connected and sustainable megacity.

All this despite the capital's escalating problems and the difficulties in addressing them due to limited funding, an unsupportive regulatory framework and weak building capacity. With proper planning, political will, and public-private partnerships, Jakarta can offer its residents a standard of living that is both modern and sustainable. Residents should be able to enjoy clean air, open spaces, a modern public transportation system and homes with sanitation and clean water."

"Laying the roadmap for the introduction of a goods and service tax (GST), state governments in India have proposed a dual structure, with two rates for goods and a single rate for services. The new GST regime will change the face of indirect taxation in India just as the new direct code seeks to change the way tax is calculated on individuals and companies.

One of the issues that has been left open is subsuming purchase tax since some states felt they were earning substantial revenue from the purchase tax that is levied by foodgrain producing states. Besides, certain states continue to have reservations on the rates. States like those in the north east and special category states that already have a lower threshold for value added tax at present, would be compensated."

"After paddy planting, fishing is the second largest source of income for households in the Ayeyarwady Delta, a labyrinth of rivers, ponds and waterways in Myanmar. For 20 percent of Nargis-affected households, full-time fishing is the primary source of income. It is expected to take 3-5 years to fully restore the livelihoods of cyclone-affected fishermen.

Although the main sources of livelihood in the Delta are farming, fish and livestock, these sub-sectors were the least funded in the Cyclone Nargis response. Some 1,550 marine fishing vessels, 50 percent of small inland fishing boats (i.e. about 100,000 out of 200,000), and 70 percent of fishing gear were destroyed by Nargis. Livelihoods remain insecure in the worst-affected townships of Ayeyarwady and Yangon divisions."

"Sri Lanka's dairy farmers are making use of web and mobile technologies to achieve self sufficiency in milk production. User-friendly touch screen computer and SMS services have been introduced to lure young entrepreneurs to the business. Further use of the web aim to make the young generation aware in regard to the prospects of the dairy industry as an acceptable enterprise.

Dairy farming, which is the most common acceptable secondary income generation activity, has been considered as a characteristic feature in developing the rural sector and as a tool in eradicating poverty. Although the entire milk processing procedure depends mostly on small dairy farmers that count 230,000 throughout the country, due to various reasons it still has not been considered and implemented as a viable enterprise at all levels."

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