Asia Today International Magazine, October/November 2013

Asia Today International Magazine

October/November 2013

We have subtitled this 30th anniversary issue of ATI Magazine Asia in Tomorrow’s World as we look forward at future business in Asia. Some highlights:

Five Big Game-Changers – Richard Dobbs, Director of the McKinsey Global Institute, identifies the five big game-changers from 12 potentially destructive technologies bearing down on business.

A Helping Hand – Shinsuke Sakakibara, President of the International Federation of Robotics, explains how robots are moving beyond factories into services and the field of elderly care.

First Impressions – The 3D printer has gone commercial. Leading Hong Kong businessman Victor Fung says the impact on jobs could be horrendous.

Zero-Sum Games – Competition for innovation will attract investment and skills, espionage and patent war, says Francis Gurry, who heads the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

A Matter of Taste – Steaks and schnitzels will in future be made from vegetable protein, says Nestle’s Werner Bauer. Food security means using what we produce more efficiently.

A Human Curiosity – As people travel more, 70 million new jobs will be created in the industry next decade, 47 million of them in Asia, says David Scowsill, who heads the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The Diaper Index – Asia in 2012 recorded higher sales of diapers for adults than for babies. Asia is growing older, faster than the rest of the world.

Too Many Hot Spots – Former Australian Foreign Minister and international Affairs specialist Gareth Evans says that of all potential major conflicts, the India-Pakistan situation remains most volatile.

Don’t Write Europe Off – Chris Patten, former Hong Kong Governor and EU Commissioner, assesses 21st century challenges facing Europe, China, the US and the world.

The Lores of Trade Trade nationalism is on the rise in Asia, partly in response to a flow of ‘hot’ money, says Charlene Barshefsky, who as USTR helped shepherd China into the WTO.

The Facilitators – Twice Prime Minister of Thailand, Anand Panyarachun, recalls how Lee Kuan Yew urged him to “pick up the ball and run with it” in forming the ASEAN Trade Trade Association. Leaders at the time also had a hidden agenda – to forge a closer political entity within Asia.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Two case studies - Singapore and South Korea; The Status Quo – Taiwanese continue to prefer what they have; Miracle or Mirage – Landmines ahead in Myanmar; Caste(ing) a Shadow – India’s woes as much social as economic; The Long March – the RMB is used in just 0.8 per cent of global trade settlements; The Persuader – Anson Chan, Chief Secretary of Hong Kong in 1997, continues her push for universal suffrage; Only One Voice – China expert Willy Lam says Beijing is holding China together with high growth – and that cannot cont