Tokyo, Japan — A Japanese expert on international finance warned Thursday that China's social imbalances may undermine its continued robust economic growth. Former Vice Minister Makoto Utsumi said China had neglected egalitarian socialist principles in its rush to expand its economy.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea's current account recorded a deficit in March for a fourth consecutive month due to soaring fuel import costs and higher commodity prices, sounding the alarm about Asia's fourth-biggest economy already struggling with slowing domestic demand.

Toronto, ON, Canada — Hail the Myanmar junta for finally balancing its relationship with India. Previously it had played favorites with China by giving it oil and gas contracts in the Bay of Bengal. But with the recently finalized Kaladan-Sittwe river transportation project, Myanmar has balanced the odds in India's favor.

Kolkata, India — Despite the apparent political and economic bonhomie between the two countries, it seems that Indo-China tensions refuse to die. India has just announced a new policy making it mandatory for Chinese power equipment companies to set up shop in India in order to sell their wares here.

Seoul, South Korea — East Asia's economies have been integrating. This once seemed unlikely, but recently free trade agreements have been making a breakthrough, heightening the possibility of such a community including Southeast Asian nations, China, Japan and South Korea.

Manila, Philippines — Last week, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo announced that she was amenable to grant Filipino workers a much-needed increase in their daily take-home pay to offset the ill effects of rising costs of rice and other basic needs. But Arroyo made a turnaround this week.

Seoul, South Korea — The business tycoon that owns South Korea's biggest conglomerate made a stunning announcement on Tuesday that he would step down as head of the Samsung Group after being charged with tax evasion and breach of duty. Lee Kun-hee, the country's most powerful businessman, has controlled the company since 1987.

Toronto, ON, Canada — Three billion people in Asia are the rice guzzlers of the world and they are facing a supply shortage. The long-term prognosis is not good. Until the world refocuses on increasing its food grain output and controlling the population, supply shortages, followed by food riots, are going to be the norm.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea and the United States reached a deal on the import of U.S. beef on Friday, paving the way for leaders of the two countries to press ahead with the long-delayed ratification of a bilateral free trade deal. But the deal is likely to trigger an angry response from farmers.

Manila, Philippines — Rice is the staple food in Southeast Asia and in many parts of the world. The global rice crisis is an opportunity to review the food security programs of Southeast Asian nations. It is also time to minimize or even abandon the planting of biofuels or agrofuels.

Manila, Philippines — The intensifying rice and food crisis in the Philippines has raised speculations that food riots like those that rocked Haiti last week may soon hit Manila. This scenario is being discussed and debated among food experts and economic and political observers.

Guangzhou, China — This year is likely to be a difficult one for China's economy; the export business has been shrinking due to the appreciation of the Chinese yuan, among other things. This is going to make it harder for people to find jobs. One solution would be to encourage the export of labor.

Toronto, ON, Canada — Demand for copper, zinc, aluminum, nickel and all other nonferrous metals has scaled new heights in the last four years. Prices have sky-rocketed and traders are turning in huge profits. This demand for 12 years has been driven by China and now also, in the last four years, by India.

Manila, Philippines — According to the Philippine government, there is no shortage of rice in the country, with rice production up and imports meeting local demand. But prices are high and still rising, and government measures to ensure adequate rice supplies are merely palliative.

Seoul, South Korea — The family who runs South Korea's biggest business empire is facing the biggest challenge in decades as prosecutors have intensified their probe into suspected irregularities -- from bribery to illicit transfer of ownership and creation of slush funds.

Manila, Philippines — The price of rice is skyrocketing all over the world. This trend will continue until the end of the year, and it is causing panic in many Asian countries, including the Philippines. Rice is the staple food of Filipinos; remove it from the tables and there will be mass unrest.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea has emerged as one of the preeminent free trade agreement negotiators in Asia since its conclusion of a trade deal with the United States last year. Since signing the FTA with the United States, South Korea has been showered with requests for similar agreements from Japan, China, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and India.

Seoul, South Korea — With mounting fears about fallout from a global economic slump, South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak has embarked on a battle to shield the economy from external shocks. Lee will place top priority on combating rising inflation caused by higher import costs of grains, energy sources and raw materials.

Manila, Philippines — Smuggling used to be confined to the Philippines' numerous private ports, but now it is prevalent even in the country's free ports. Smuggled products are shipped as ordinary goods and unloaded in broad daylight, flooding the markets and wiping out the earnings of small Filipino traders.

Toronto, ON, Canada — Rising wheat prices in the international market have outstripped oil price increases in the past year. Oil prices have increased 80 percent over the year; wheat prices have tripled. Wheat was US$4 a bushel a year ago; it is averaging $14 a bushel now, impacting importing nations like China and India.

Hong Kong, China — The Hong Kong government's decision to abolish duties on wine, beer and all alcoholic beverages, announced late last month, has stirred the imagination of local wine industry players, who envision the city becoming Asia's wine hub. Around US$7 billion per year is spent in Asia on table wines.

Kolkata, India — Suddenly the U.S. greenback has fallen out of favor. Tour operators and travel agents in and around India's Taj Mahal -- the monument of love -- are not in love with dollars anymore. They now prefer the euro or any other stable currency, after decades of saving greenbacks to resell at a handsome profit.

BEIJING, China — China's move to consolidate its bureaucracy into several "super ministries" got the most attention during this week's meetings of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing. This goal cannot be achieved without supporting measures, however.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean shares tumbled again on Friday as fears of a slowdown of Asia's fourth-largest economy have offset expectations of gains on Wall Street's overnight rebound. The country's benchmark KOSPI closed down 0.95 percent, erasing initial gains after investors continued to unload stocks.

Manila, Philippines — The Filipino people are outraged to learn that their government entered a deal with China to explore ocean territory around the Spratly Islands in connection with a Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking. The contract calls for joint seismic research, but also investigations into oil and gas deposits in the area.

Hong Kong, China — The world's third-largest jewelry fair, The Hong Kong International Jewelry Show, concluded Saturday on a glittering note for the host city, with jewelry exports surging despite poor performance in the United States, its biggest market. Exports overall recorded a healthy 17 percent rise, to US$4.3 billion.

Hong Kong, China — The world's third-largest jewelry fair, The Hong Kong International Jewelry Show, concluded Saturday on a glittering note for the host city, with jewelry exports surging despite poor performance in the United States, its biggest market. Exports overall recorded a healthy 17 percent rise, to US$4.3 billion.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is blessed with abundant natural resources. Food crops can easily grow in the country's fertile lands. But there are many Filipinos who are hungry today. Even farmers, who constitute a significant sector in Philippine society, are among the starving Filipinos.

Seoul, South Korea — The World Trade Organization has been seen as the central player driving world trade in the globalization era. But now free trade agreements are the new trend, like the South Korea-U.S. deal signed last year, aimed at strengthening their traditional alliance as well as promoting economic exchange.

Toronto, ON, Canada — With US$1.4 trillion in cash reserves, 70 percent held by the United States, China has great clout over the United States. The withdrawal of this money would send U.S. financial markets into a tizzy. If nothing is done about the U.S.-China trade imbalance, these reserves will one day rival the U.S. budget.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea's incoming economic policymakers are facing a dilemma over how to shield the economy from mounting external shocks caused by global financial jitters and soaring energy prices. They want to take a set of stimulus measures, but such a move may backfire.

NEW YORK, NY, United States — The World Bank has named Chinese economist Justin Yifu Lin its senior vice president and chief economist. This is inappropriate. The bank selected Lin as an expert in China's economic development, but this development should not be seen as a model. It is in fact counter to modern trends.

Shanghai, China — Chinese media in January reported an ambitious plan to link mainland China and Taiwan by high-speed railway. It is the latest in a series of proposals to physically link the island with the mainland. The plan does not address political obstacles -- presumably these will be dealt with on a parallel track.

Toronto, ON, Canada — The longest election process and probably the most colorful one in recent U.S. history is underway. Republicans look set to lose, and Democrats are by habit protectionists. This may translate into a fresh look at all the country's trade deals and potentially major impact on China and India.

Brisbane, Australia — Vibrant colors, glistening chrome and ergonomic car designs took center stage at last week's Brisbane International Motor Show, as car manufacturers around the world displayed new vehicles in a bid to attract buyers in the strong Australian car market, unfazed by rising gasoline prices and inflation.

Toronto, ON, Canada — The world's need for textiles, especially high-end cotton textiles, knitwear and hosiery, is unending. Today China is in the lead in supplying this market, thanks to the U.S. quota system. But India is surging ahead to close the gap, especially in the cotton market.

Tokyo, Japan — Japan's lawmakers and business executives face a dilemma over whether to promote or more tightly regulate foreign capital flowing into the country's financial markets. The current cause of concern is a possible foreign takeover of the Narita International Airport Corporation.

Tokyo, Japan — International pressure is mounting against Japan's whaling activities in the Antarctic Ocean, especially from Australia, which earns considerable tourist income from whale-watching along its coastlines. Some observers are beginning to question how long Japan can continue its research whaling.

Toronto, ON, Canada — The United States is heading toward recession. This is no longer conjecture -- the threat is real. It will impact first Canada then Europe and the rest of the world. Neither India nor China is immune to this worldwide financial crisis.

Seoul, South Korea — High prices of crude oil and raw materials are posing a serious threat to the resources-deficient South Korean economy with slowing growth, raising the specter of stagflation -- a combination of stagnation and inflation.

Tokyo, Japan — When China's Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei paid a visit to Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura Thursday in Tokyo, he expected a friendly welcome to prepare for a spring visit by President Hu Jintao. Instead, a stern-faced Komura demanded stricter safety standards on China's food exports.

Manila, Philippines — Last week the International Labor Organization forecast that 5 million people would join the world's unemployed due to the U.S. economic crisis and rising oil prices. In the Philippines there were 597,000 new jobless and 803,000 underemployed workers last year, the situation is likely to get worse.

Manipal, India — Manmohan Singh, India's present prime minister, was brought back from Geneva to India as economic advisor to the government in 1990, to help accelerate economic reforms. When Singh took formal power in 2004 the middle class had high expectations. Nearly four years on, these hopes have died, together with the reforms.

Beijing, China — A recent flurry of bilateral and regional trade agreements brings the issue of multilateral versus bilateral trade agreements to the fore in a fundamentally shifting global economy. Among recently concluded agreements are Japan-Thailand and U.S.-South Korea FTAs.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea's economy grew more than expected in the fourth quarter on resilient exports and brisk investment, but the outlook for the world's 12th-biggest economy is gloomy with mounting fears of a slowdown due to deepening troubles in the U.S. economy.

Manila, Philippines — A Manila-based think tank has issued a report asserting that Japan's controversial economic partnership agreement with the Philippine government is just one piece of Tokyo's larger plan for an eventual comprehensive economic partnership agreement in East Asia that would expand Japan's regional influence.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea's President-elect Lee Myung-bak has vowed to place top priority on attracting more foreign investment to spur the country's struggling economy. Lee said Thursday his government will improve the business environment for foreign investors by easing regulations and stemming labor disputes.

Tokyo, Japan — Worried by the overall decline in trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange since the beginning of the year, two prominent business leaders have warned that Japan's economy may be in for a rough ride. Uichiro Niwa, chairman of Itochu Corp., compared the economy to "a car dashing full speed toward a cliff."

Hong Kong, China — Industry leaders at Asia's largest toy fair, held in Hong Kong last week, defended Chinese manufacturers' commitment to safety standards and reiterated that strong exports were a sign of growing consumer confidence in China-made toys, despite massive recalls last year.

Seoul, South Korea — Samsung Group, South Korea's biggest industrial conglomerate -- producer of sleek flat-screen TVs, high-tech mobile phones, computer memory chips and oil-drilling rigs -- is facing an investigation into suspected irregularities from bribery to the illicit transfer of ownership and the creation of slush funds.