1 IntroductionIn the West, Asia is

1 Introduction
In the West, Asia is primarily seen as an arena of economic change. After all, for decades the continent
has been one of the fastest growing economies worldwide. Japan, Singapore, South Korea
and Taiwan are among the economically most developed societies in the world. They offer their
citizens a degree of material security and opportunities in life that are comparable with standards in
many Western societies, if not better. Furthermore, over the past 15 years India has emerged as a
new economic power. World Bank estimates suggest that in 2020 the People’s Republic of China
will be the world’s leading economy.