Asia & Pacific

The ‘Kobe Medical Industry Development Project’ represents Japanese cluster development on a grand scale within the medical industry. Kobe is located in the Kansai region, which accounts for 19% of Japan’s GDP (50 billion US dollars in 1998) and takes advantage of a large population of 23 million. Within this advantageous region, the Japanese government has worked with the city authorities and private industry to design and build a world-class research facility: Kobe Medical Industry Development Project

When Hong Kong once again became part of China, it created the opportunity and necessity to integrate two economic systems: That of British - Hong Kong and that of the Pearl River Delta belonging to the Chinese republic. How this integration is progressing can be read in a recently completed 256-page report by The 2022 Foundation.

Business Review Weekly (BRW), Australia's leading business magazine, has a feature article: "Industry Clusters - the future of business". The article first explains what clusters are and then focuses on how to identify and develop them.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, special guest Dr. Peter Brain gave a lucid and insightful overview of the importance of tacit knowledge for the success of economies at the regional level.

Australia's 2002 "Creativity Index" provides a new tool to evaluate a city's potential for economic and cluster development.

Much attention continues to be focused on Malaysia after the currency crisis, as it continues to rebuild its economy. Malaysia has a comprehensive strategy in place that may help ease the concerns over future investment and continue high-tech economic growth.

Last November, J.E. Austin Associates and the Kenan Institute Asia (KIAsia) began working as part of the "Southeast Asia Competitiveness Iniciative" (SEACI) in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. SEACI, sponsored by U.S. AID, is supporting these countries with cluster development as part of helping them recover from the 1997 Asian Crisis.

As India's trade policies are liberalised, its textile industry faces the issue of upgrading its clusters and preparing itself for global competition.

Twenty industry groupings have received approximately $US 15,000 each to engage facilitators who will work to share expertise, identify common goals, and develop shared supplier and marketing information.

A major study under the direction of Playford City Council (South Australia) is shedding light on the nature, drivers and location of food clusters.