Singapore, Feb 18: Buoyed by bustling growth in China and India, Asia will not be "unduly disadvantaged" if recession hits the US, Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has said.
"I believe this may be the first time where the US economy catches a flu and we are not going to catch influenza - I hope," the city-state's founding prime minister said Sunday at a Singapore Airshow leadership dialogue.
The Chinese and Indian economies were unlikely to dip below 8, 9 or 10 percent growth, Lee said. While 40 percent of intra-Asian trade is bound for the US, even if the US cuts its imports by half, Asia would not be too badly hit.
Focusing on the aviation industry, Lee said he was confident that Asia would continue to soar. With new airports being built and more people taking to the skies, Lee forecast "enormous growth in Asia in the next 10, 20 years, more in Asia than in any other part of the world".
He was more sceptical on liberalization going forward. Countries that are not doing so well will want their flag carriers to grow stronger first before they open up, he said.
Citing some progress, he noted that by December the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) would lift all restrictions on flights between capital cities.
Asean includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.
The six-day Singapore Airshow featuring the giants of the manufacturing industry starts Tuesday.
"I believe this may be the first time where the US economy catches a flu and we are not going to catch influenza - I hope," the city-state's founding prime minister said Sunday at a Singapore Airshow leadership dialogue.
The Chinese and Indian economies were unlikely to dip below 8, 9 or 10 percent growth, Lee said. While 40 percent of intra-Asian trade is bound for the US, even if the US cuts its imports by half, Asia would not be too badly hit.
Focusing on the aviation industry, Lee said he was confident that Asia would continue to soar. With new airports being built and more people taking to the skies, Lee forecast "enormous growth in Asia in the next 10, 20 years, more in Asia than in any other part of the world".
He was more sceptical on liberalization going forward. Countries that are not doing so well will want their flag carriers to grow stronger first before they open up, he said.
Citing some progress, he noted that by December the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) would lift all restrictions on flights between capital cities.
Asean includes Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.
The six-day Singapore Airshow featuring the giants of the manufacturing industry starts Tuesday.
2 comments:
If the U.S. economy is in recession, you'll regret that you have made your economic assertion about the economic growth in Asia.
I will remember what you said about the Asian economic growth following U.S. recession.
I hope you're right; however, most likely, you'll be wrong, because your assumption is premature and presumptuous. If it turned out to be incorrect, you credibility will drastically diminished.
I agree with 10:59. China is showing some signs of slowing down already, and eventually India will follow. You just need to look at who the main export partners are. China: U. S. 21% (largest),India: U. S. 17% (largest).
He is a wise man, so he probably wants to instill some confidence into the Asian economies.
When it comes to Cambodia with its its reliance on the garment industry the picture is outright bleak. 53.3% of its exports go to the U. S.
We can only hope that that U. S. slowdown or recession will be over by mid 2008.
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