"PRC needs to do more than simply create additional jobs to further expand its base of consumers. More importantly, it should create more jobs that pay adequately. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced last week that the country created more than 11 million new urban jobs as a result of the national economy's strong rebound in 2009. However, China still faces huge employment pressure, with 10 million people reportedly entering the workforce annually in recent years.

The central government certainly deserves credit for boosting employment to cushion Chinese people against the global recession. But that endeavor is still far from enough if the country is to shift away from its dependence on exports and investment for growth. To pursue consumer-led growth, Chinese policymakers must focus on creating more jobs that pay workers decently."

"Thailand has drawn up 17 key policy initiatives for the year including reducing informal lending, expanding access to credit and overhauling the country's tax system. Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said it was time to focus on strengthening the country's fundamentals and pave the way for long-term growth as the global economic crisis was receding.

The 17 policy initiatives include helping 1 million people across the country refinance underground debt worth 100 billion baht ($3.04 billion); establishing a new national savings fund with contributions starting at 100 baht ($3.04) per month; and creating a new public-private partnership framework to help finance new investment in infrastructure and public services."

"Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enable their users to freely access enormous amounts of versatile knowledge. Distance education through ICTs provides a major opportunity for learning on all levels, including higher education. Countries like Pakistan could also gain tremendous advantage by trying to use ICTs for gender empowerment by adopting a growing range of possible applications of ICTs.

The establishment of a virtual university in Pakistan has been an attempt to utilize this opportunity. However, ICT education is generally concentrated at the tertiary stage. In schools, computers are still a rare commodity. The lack of local content is also a barrier to increased use of ICT in schools."

"According to the World Bank's much cited 'dollar-a-day' international poverty line, which was revised in 2008 to $1.25 a day in 2005 prices, there are still 1.4 billion people living in poverty, down from 1.9 billion in 1981. International agencies estimate that more than 100 million people fell into poverty as a result of higher food prices during 2007-2008, and that the global financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009 accounted for an increase of another 200 million. Delayed job recovery from the global downturn remains a major challenge for poverty reduction in the coming years.

There is a need for sustained rapid growth and structural economic transformation. Governments need to play a developmental role, with implementation of integrated policies designed to support inclusive output and employment growth, as well as to reduce inequality and promote social justice. Such an approach needs to be complemented by appropriate industrial investment and technology policies, and by inclusive financial facilities designed to support them."

"Women's literacy in Afghanistan is among the lowest in the world at about 14 percent. However, a change has taken place. Previously, only 3 percent of girls went to school; now about 36 percent receive an education. The State Ministry of Education in Afghanistan has produced a national education strategy and is now implementing teacher training, producing textbooks and building schools at a greater rate than previously.

But capacity remains low and it is common for there to be 40 pupils or more in one classroom. It isn't unusual for them to sit on the floor or out in the open air. Despite this, there is enormous pressure on the school system. One of the requirements is to educate more teachers. School buildings are needed because many of them have been destroyed during armed conflicts, but other basic infrastructure is also missing like desks, toilets and textbooks."

"India may just have emerged as an angel-in-disguise for the ailing global auto industry. And as the major world economies climb back up the ladder of growth, India's position as one of the major auto markets has now been cemented. Global manufacturers re-affirmed their commitment to the Indian auto market, in spite of tighter budgets. With new players announcing their entry across segments, the domestic auto market is almost a case study of perfect competition.

However, as customers demand more in terms of quality and design, price differentiation alone does not ensure success anymore. Moreover, with the domestic component industry increasingly becoming competitive in terms of costs and quality, manufacturers are increasingly developing India as a sourcing hub and manufacturing base for their global operations. The auto industry posted strong production numbers in 2008, at a time when most of the developed world was reeling under an economic slowdown."

"While the Indonesian government is already almost a year behind schedule in issuing regulations to implement the new mining law, mineral producers have been worried about the domestic market obligation (DMO). Their concern is not so much about the requirement to allocate a portion of their output to domestic users, but the lack of clarity regarding how the volume of domestic needs for each mineral is set, how the obligation will be distributed among the producers and how the prices will be determined.

The DMO will create new uncertainty if this obligation is not based on clear-cut regulations. The most affected by the DMO policy are certainly coal producers, who have made Indonesia the world's largest seaborne exporter of thermal coal with an estimated output of 230 million tons last year, of which only about 50 million tons was used locally. However, domestic demand for coal is estimated to almost double this year."

"Under pressure over accusations that ill-gotten money would be siphoned out, Sri Lanka's Central Bank has put the lid on a plan to allow a free flow of foreign currency in and out of the country. In a move that was welcomed mostly by the business community, the Central Bank said it planned to allow unhindered flow of foreign exchange, which would enable anyone to open bank accounts abroad or send money out freely.

Banks and big businesses welcomed the move as it was good for investment purposes and those who regularly traveled abroad. The move to liberalise foreign exchange controls follows an improvement in Sri Lanka's foreign exchange reserves in recent times from a dismal position in late 2008 to early 2009, which saw huge outflows due to the global financial crisis."

"An annual government survey of Bangladesh's health situation has found that pesticide-related poisoning is a leading cause of death, underscoring a major health concern. The 2009 Health Bulletin, which compiles health statistics from 2008, recorded 7,438 pesticide-related poisoning deaths at more than 400 hospitals nationwide amongst men and women aged 15-49. Of the deaths, direct pesticide poisoning accounted for 8 percent of the fatalities, preceded only by respiratory failure at 11 percent.

The use of chemicals for growing vegetables was a major factor in pesticide-related deaths. Farmers apply pesticides on their crops without taking proper protective measures. They expose themselves to highly poisonous pesticides. They inhale substantial amounts of the pesticides they spray to kill insects in their crops."

"Asian financial institutions and markets have been given a golden opportunity. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, however, Asian banks and capital markets will need to develop quickly. In this context, the regulatory authorities in Asia need to cooperate as never before with one another and financial institutions to develop regional financial and capital markets.

Asia's economic growth model will also need to be reoriented from depending largely on exports to a more balanced model that is also dependent on services and domestic consumption. Asia's fundamentals are generally sound, policymakers have lots of flexibility, and the population is hard-working and educated. The next decade could thus be a 'Golden Age' for Asia."

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