Not long ago, Asians suffered weak governments. Japan stumbled through a series of short-lived and unpopular leaders, and in China, the last years under President Hu Jintao saw necessary reforms postponed. In India, after initially high hopes, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ended his term with more critics than fans. Much the same is being experienced by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will soon leave office.
There were both political and economic costs as faltering leadership impacted investor confidence. Currency values and growth rates in both India and Indonesia tumbled last year. The wish was for stronger leaders who could deliver solutions.
Now this wish seems answered after one year-plus of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in, respectively, China and Japan as well as large wins for Narendra Modi in India and president-elect Joko Widodo in Indonesia. A lot of good could result.