Regarding the article "Ill omens for Asian economies" (Oct. 24), equality in standards of living and opportunities for advancement are goals that should be common, but the GDP formula of indiscriminate growth must be consigned to history.
Each country has a unique set of strategic choices for sustained development. India's future prospects, for example, should be gauged against its guarantee of work and food security for the poor, combined with massive investments in education and determined moves to eradicate corruption.
China's husbanding of natural resources, often criticized in this newspaper, its stellar agricultural progress, and subtle domination of global subterranean wealth, place any Beijing regime in the driver's seat — at least until the U.S. is able to emancipate itself of unprecedented debt.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.