cover image The Asian Century: The Economic Ascent of the Pacific Rim--And What It Means for the West

The Asian Century: The Economic Ascent of the Pacific Rim--And What It Means for the West

Julian Weiss. Facts on File, $21.95 (231pp) ISBN 978-0-8160-1687-7

Journalist Weiss analyzes the Century of the Pacific in this sober, fact-filled volume. His balanced analysis reveals both the strengths and the surprising weaknesses of the economies of Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malayasia, countries dependent on U.S. markets, technology and capital. If the U.S. sneezes, the East Asian economies may well die of pneumonia, according to Weiss. He shows that their low-wage advantage is evaporating, that gluts in the auto, steel and shipbuilding industries and a tougher international trading environment in the 1990s will likely end the era of double-digit economic growth along the Pacific Rim. Weiss carefully evaluates each country's potential for future growth and notes opportunities for U.S. companies. Recent events have made some of the information here dated, however, and the prose is merely workmanlike. (Oct.)