At a time when growth does not necessarily mean more jobs, governments must take a proactive stance to keep people in work.

Karina Robinson interviews Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on developments in the region and in his homeland.

Prospects for economic upgrade and liberalisation depend on the results of the coming presidential elections. Dennis Engbarth reports from Taipei.

The cost/benefit analysis for prospective financial criminals in Taiwan has shifted sharply toward higher costs in the wake of the national legislature’s passage on January 13 of stiffer penalties for a wide variety of offences and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s willingness to prosecute influential perpetrators.

China’s top banking regulator played Santa Claus to foreign banks weeks before Christmas last year, announcing measures that gave them greater access to the local market.

After a long-term presence in India, HSBC has surprised everyone by buying into the local banking sector in an apparent strategic shift, writes Kala Rao in Mumbai.

The government’s rescue of Ashikaga regional bank illustrates that, while Japan’s economic outlook has improved, there are still areas of concern.

The opening up of the mainland will attract foreign investment into the city state and bolster its exports.

Criticism is mounting of the IBRA’s restructuring efforts. But any
assessment must factor in the volatile environment in which the agency
had to operate, says Brian Caplen.

China may have to swallow the unpalatable and seek foreign assistance if it is to remedy its huge non-performing loan problem. Brian Caplen reports.