Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesia is a country rich in natural resources, yet many people live in extreme poverty while foreign corporations exploit these resources for profit. The popular myth is that without foreign corporations, developing countries would not be able to extract these resources.

Toronto, ON, Canada — It is only recently that India is being bracketed with China and not with Pakistan in international circles. Only when the Indian economy crossed the US$1 trillion mark a year or so ago did it begin to win the respect it is due.

Toronto, ON, Canada — China's National Bureau of Statistics headed by Ma Jiantang says the country is trying to project itself as a leading economic power with worthless statistics. Ma was complaining during the national statistics works conference on Jan. 28, of provincial officials routinely fudging and inflating numbers to make them look good.

New Delhi, India — Think tanks in China are publishing studies of countries like Germany, Italy and Japan that acquired assets and colonies overseas to feed their domestic industries to ensure rapid modernization and build state-of-the-art economies. Both China and India are adopting similar strategies today.

Jakarta, Indonesia — Thousands of workers protested in Central Jakarta, Indonesia late last month, demanding that the government abolish the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, as it badly impacts workers. It seems the Indonesian government does not know what it agreed to and has no idea how to handle its impact.

Manila, Philippines — Harassed by the bitter position of the Philippines’ sugar industry, local players last week appealed to President Gloria Arroyo to suspend or recall an order authorizing the import of 150,000 metric tons of sugar, to arrest what it called a looming sugar crisis.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippine government is unprepared to address a looming job crisis in its domestic tuna fishing industry as 150,000 workers and small tuna fishermen are set to lose their jobs with the two-year ban on tuna fishing to be implemented beginning this year.

Kolkata, India — As China enters the “Year of the Tiger” on Feb. 14, conservationists fear for the future of this fast-dwindling wild animal. As the tiger is thought to bring progress and luck, and its body parts to hold high medicinal properties, Chinese demand for tiger products is expected to rise dramatically this year.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea’s Samsung Electronics has emerged as the world's biggest technology company by sales, overtaking its U.S. rival Hewlett-Packard and German industrial group Siemens, company officials said on Friday. Samsung reported full-year sales of US$117.4 billion in 2009.

Toronto, ON, Canada — An aggressive and arrogant China is entering 2010 with a bit of uncertainty. Although there was no let-up in its exports in 2009, its internal financial position looks uncertain. China watchers are expecting a bubble that will eventually burst.