'Economy of Asia'
During 2003 unless otherwise stated| Population: | 4.001 billion (2002) |
| GDP (PPP): | US$18.077 trillion |
| GDP (Currency): | $8.782 trillion |
| GDP/capita (PPP): | $4,518 |
| GDP/capita (Currency): | $2,195 |
Annual growth of
per capita GDP: | |
| Income of top 10%: | |
| Millionaires: | 2.0 million (0.05%) |
| Unemployment | |
Estimated female
income | |
| Most numbers are from the UNDP from 2002, some numbers exclude certain countries for lack of information. |
| |
The '
economy of
Asia' comprises more than 4 billion people (60% of the
world population), living in 46 different
states. In addition to this, there are six further states that lie partly in Asia, but are considered to belong to another region economically and politically.
As in all world regions, the wealth of Asia differs widely between, and within, states. This is due to its vast size, meaning a huge range of differing cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems. The largest economies in Asia in terms of nominal
GDP are
Japan and
China. This demonstrates the huge disparity in wealth in Asia, with Japan being the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP, and Cambodia being one of the poorest.
In terms of GDP by
purchasing power parity however,
China has the largest economy in Asia and the second largest economy in the world, followed by
Japan and
India as the world's third and fourth largest economies respectively.
South Korea also has one of the largest economies in Asia and the 11th largest in the world by nominal GDP.
Economic development
Ancient and medieval times
Asia was relatively rich in the ancient times.
China and
India alternated in being the largest economies in the world from 1 A.D to about 1800 A.D.
China was a major economic power and attracted many to the east, and for many the legendary wealth and prosperity of the ancient culture of
India personified South Asia, attracting European commerce, exploration and colonialism. The accidental discovery of America by Columbus in search for India demonstrates this deep fascination. The
Silk Road became the main East-West trading route in the Asian hitherland while the
Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. In the Straits of Malacca,
Malacca established itself as an important port in Asia.
Pre-1945
Prior to
World War II, most of Asia were under
colonial rule. Only relatively few managed to stay independent in face of constant pressure exerted by European power. Such examples are Siam and Japan.
Japan in particular managed to develop its economy due to a reformation done in the 19th century. The reformation was comprehensive and is today known as the
Meiji Restoration. The Japanese economy continued to grow well into the 20th century and its economic growth created various shortages of resources essential to economic growth. As a result, the Japanese expansion began with a great part of
Korea and China were annexed and thus, allowing the Japanese to secure strategic resources.
At the same time,
Southeast Asia was prospering due to trade and the introduction of various new technologies of that time. The volume of trade continued to increase with the opening of the
Suez Canal in the 1860s.
Manila had its
gallion or Manila gallion wherein products from the
Philippines were traded to Europe. The
Philippines was the first Asian country to trade with Latin America via
Alcapulco. Tobacco, coconut, corn, and sugar trade was the most in demand during that time.
Singapore, founded in 1819, rose to prominence as trade between the east and the west increased at an incredible rate. The
British colony of
Malaya, now part of
Malaysia, was the world's largest producer of
tin and
rubber. The
Dutch East Indies, now
Indonesia, on the other hand, was known for its
spices production. Both the British and the Dutch created their own trading companies to manage their trade flow in Asia. The British created the
British East India Company while the Dutch formed
Dutch East India Company. Both companies maintained trade monopolies of their respective colonies.
In 1908,
crude oil was first discovered in
Persia, modern day
Iran. Afterwards, many oil fields were discovered and it was learnt later that the
Mideast possesses the world's largest oil stocks. This made the rulers of the Arab nations very rich though the socioeconomic development in that region lagged behind.
In the early 1930s, the world underwent a global
economic depression, today known as the
Great Depression. Asia was not spared, and suffered the same pain as Europe and the
United States. The volume of trade decreased dramatically all around Asia and indeed the world. With falling
demand, prices of various goods starting to fall and further impoverished locals and foreigners alike. In 1941, Japan invaded
Malaya and thus began World War II in Asia.
1945-1990
During these years, the
People's Republic of China and
India, which accounts for half of the population of Asia, adopted socialist policies. These policies limited the economic growth of this region. In contrast, the economies of Japan and the four
Four Asian Tigers--
South Korea,
Taiwan,
Singapore, and
Hong Kong--were economic success stories and the only successful economies outside of North America, Western Europe and Australasia. The
Philippines from Post World War II up until the late 1960s had the second largest economy in Asia. The Philippine economy during the period of the 80's was marked by stagnant growth as a result of dictatorship and martial law.
Wars driven by the
Cold War, notably in Vietnam and Afghanistan, wrecked the economies of these respective nations.
When the
Soviet Union collapsed in 1990-91, many
Central Asian states were cut free and were forced to adapt to pressure for democratic and economic change. Also, several of the USSR's allies lost valuable aid and funding.
1991-2004
After the liberalization of the
economy of India, undertaken by the then
finance minister and current
Prime Minister of India, Dr.
Manmohan Singh, the Indian economy coupled with the Chinese economy which was already booming under the economic measures undertaken by
Jiang Zemin powered Asia to being one of the hotspots for world trade. Currently, as India's economy topped 9.1% growth, and China's 10%, Asia has started showing its potential. One of the favorable (or unfavorable, depending upon one's point of view) factors is the sheer size of the population in this region.
Meanwhile,
Thailand,
Malaysia and
Indonesia emerged as the new Asian tigers with their GDPs growing well above 7% per year in the 1980s and the 90s. Their economies were mainly driven by growing exports. The
Philippines also considered a new Asian Tiger began to open up its economy again in the early in the 90's. Vietnam's economy began to grow in 1995, shortly after the US and Vietnam restored economic and political ties.
Throughout the 1990s, the manufacturing ability and cheap labor markets in Asian developing nations allowed companies there to establish themselves in many of the industries previously dominated by companies from developed nations. Asia became one of the largest sources of
automobiles,
machinery, audio equipment and other
electronics.
At the end of 1997, Thailand was hit by
currency speculators and the value of the
Baht along with its annual growth rate fell dramatically. Soon after, the crisis spread to Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea,
Hong Kong, Singapore and many other Asian economies and inflicted great economic damage on the affected countries though Japan were relatively unaffected. In fact, some of the economies, most notably those of Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea actually contracted. This later would be known as the
Asian financial crisis. By 1999, most countries had already recovered from the crisis.
In 2004, parts of Sumatra and South Asia were severely damaged by
an earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. The natural disaster wiped out huge amounts of
infrastructure throughout the affected area and displaced millions.
Future
Asia faces severe disparities, which is a source of major tension in the region. While "''
East Asian Tigers''" such as China, India, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan (ROC), and Singapore keep powering their way through, and Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam have entered the path to long-term growth, there are regions right next to these countries that are in need of severe assistance.
Given the large number cheap and amply available labor in the region, particularly in China and India, where their large workforce gives them an economical advantage over other countries, the rising standard of living in these countries will eventually lead to a slow-down. Asia is also riddled with political problems that threaten not just the economies, but also the general stability of the region and world. The
nuclear neighbors - China and India constantly pose a threat to each other, causing their governments to heavily invest in
military spending. The Korean peninsula is also a very volatile area. Currently, North Korea is developing a nuclear weapons program, which poses a major threat to its neighbors, particularly South Korea and Japan, and to US military forces stationed in South Korea.
Military intervention by the United States in
Afghanistan and
Iraq has also fanned the flames of the extremism and resulted in several terrorist attacks in a number of Asian countries. Another impending crisis is the running out of oil reserves in Arabia region. Most of these economies have traditionally been over-dependent on oil and are finding hard to establish another pillar in their economy.
Yet another potential danger posed by the economy of Asia to the rest of the world is the growing accumulation of
foreign exchange reserves. The countries with the largest foreign reserves are mostly in Asia - China (Mainland - $988 billion & Hong Kong - $130 billion, September 2006), Japan ($881 billion, September 2006), Taiwan ($261 billion, September 2006),
Singapore ($129 billion, June 2005), the Republic of Korea ($228 billion, September 2006), India ($200 billion, April 2007). This increasingly means that the interchangeability of the Euro, USD, and GBP are heavily influenced by Asian central banks. Some economists in the western countries see this as a bad thing, prompting their respective governments to take action.
Trade blocs
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
The
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a group of
Pacific Rim countries who meet with the purpose of improving economic and political ties
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political, economic, and cultural organization of countries located in Southeast Asia. Founded in 1967, its aim is to foster cooperation and mutual assistance among members. The countries meet annually every November in summits.
The current member countries of ASEAN are
Myanmar (Burma),
Laos,
Thailand,
Cambodia,
Vietnam,
Philippines,
Malaysia,
Brunei Darussalam,
Singapore and
Indonesia.
Papua New Guinea is given an
observer status.
In 2005 ASEAN was instrumental in establishing the
East Asia Summit (involving all ASEAN members plus
China,
Japan,
South Korea,
India,
Australia and
New Zealand) which some have proposed may become in the future a trade bloc, the arrangements for which are far from certain and not yet clear.
The
Asian Currency Unit (ACU) is a proposed currency unit for the ASEAN "10+3" economic circle. (ASEAN, the mainland of the
People's Republic of China,
Japan, and the
Republic of Korea).
Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement
The
Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) is an economic agreement between the
People's Republic of China and both the
Hong Kong SAR government (signed on 29 June 2003), and the
Macau SAR government (signed on 18 October, 2003), in order to promote trade and investment facilitation.
The main aims of CEPA are to eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barrier on substantially all the trade in goods between the three, and achieve liberalization of trade in services through reduction or elimination of substantially all discriminatory measures.
Commonwealth of Independent States
Flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States
The
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a
confederation consisting of 12 of the 15 states of the former Soviet Union, both
Asian and
European, (the exceptions being the three
Baltic states). Although the CIS has few supranational powers, it is more than a purely symbolic organization and possesses coordinating powers in the realm of trade, finance, lawmaking and security. The most significant issue for the CIS is the establishment of a full-fledged free trade zone / economic union between the member states, to be launched in 2005. It has also promoted cooperation on democratisation and cross-border crime prevention.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
The
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an association of 8 countries of South Asia, namely
Bangladesh,
Bhutan,
India,
Maldives,
Nepal,
Pakistan,
Sri Lanka and
Afghanistan. These countries comprise an area of 5 130 746 km² and a fifth of the population of the world.
SAARC encourages cooperation in agriculture, rural development, science and technology, culture, health, population control, narcotics control and anti-terrorism.
South Asia Free Trade Agreement ''(proposed)''
The
South Asia Free Trade Agreement is an agreement reached at the 12th
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit. It creates a framework for the creation of a
free trade zone covering 1.6 billion people in
India,
Pakistan,
Nepal,
Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh,
Bhutan and the
Maldives.
Currency
Below is a 'list of the currencies of Asia', including all fully Asian states plus Russia, with exchange rates between each currency and both the ''Euro'' and ''US Dollars''
as of 9th December 2004.
''Table correct as of 9th December 2004 (see
[1] for latest)''
Economic sectors
Primary Sector
Asia is by a considerable margin the largest in the world, and is rich in natural resources. The vast expanse of the former
Soviet Union, particularly that of
Russia, contains a huge variety of metals, such as
gold,
iron,
lead,
titanium,
uranium, and
zinc. These metals are mined, but not in an efficient manner due to continued use of poorly maintained, obsolete machinery left over from the communist era. Despite the inefficiency of the mining industry, profits are high due to a commodity price boom in 2003/2004 caused largely by increased demand in China. Oil is Southwest Asia's most important natural resource. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait are rich in oil reserves and have benefited from recent oil price escalations. Asia is home to some four billion people, and thus has a well established tradition in agriculture. High productivity in agriculture, especially of
rice, allows high population density of many countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, southern China, Cambodia, India, and Vietnam. Agriculture constitutes a high portion of land usage in warm and humid areas of Asia. Many hillsides are farmed in a ''terrace'' method to boost arable land. The main agricultural products in Asia include
rice and
wheat.
Opium is one of major cash crops in Central and Southeast Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, though its production is prohibited everywhere. Forestry is extensive throughout Asia except Southwest and Central Asia, with many of the items of furniture sold in the developed nations made out of Asian timber. Fishing is a major source of food in Asia, particularly in Japan.
Secondary Sector
The manufacturing sector in Asia has traditionally been strongest in the East region - particularly in
China,
Taiwan,
Japan,
South Korea and
Singapore. The industry varies from manufacturing cheap low value goods such as
toys to high-tech added value goods such as
computers,
CD players,
Games consoles and
cars. Major Asian manufacturing companies are mostly based in either
South Korea or
Japan. They include
Samsung,
Hyundai,
LG from
Korea, and
Sony,
Toyota,
Honda, and
Nissan from
Japan. Many developed-nation firms from
Europe,
North America, and
Japan have significant operations in the developing Asia to take avantage of the abundant supply of cheap labor. One of the major employers in manufacturing in Asia is the
textile industry. Much of the world's supply of clothing and footwear now originates in Southeast Asia and South Asia, particularly in
Vietnam,
China,
India,
Thailand,
Bangladesh,
Pakistan, and
Indonesia.
Tertiary Sector
Asia has three important financial centers. They are located in
Hong Kong,
Singapore and
Tokyo.
India has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the economic boom. The country has emerged as one of the world's largest exporters of software and other information technology related services. World class Indian software giants such as
Infosys,
TCS,
Wipro and
Satyam have emerged as the world's most sort after service providers. Call centers are also becoming major employers in India, Philippines, Malaysia, etc. due to the availability of many well educated English speakers. Here again India holds close to 60% of the trade share. The rise of the Business Process
Outsourcing (BPO) industry has seen the rise of India and China as the other financial centers. Experts believe that the current center of financial activity is moving toward "Chindia" - a name used for jointly referring to China and India - with
Shanghai and Mumbai (
Bombay) becoming major financial hubs in their own right. Other growing technological and financial hubs include Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Economy by country
See also
★
Asia
★
History of Asia
★
Geography of Asia
★
Commonwealth of Independent States
★
List of Asian countries by GDP
★
World economy
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