U.S. COMPANIES THAT INVEST IN ASIAN NATIONS BECAUSE OF THEIR HIGH GROWTH RATES MAY BE SURPRISED IN THE FUTURE BY “AGE OLD ENMITIES AND HOSTILITIES” IN THE REGION, PARTICULARLY WITH CHINA, WHICH CURRENTLY ARE VEILED BY ECONOMIC SUCCESS, ACCORDING TO AN ATLANTA ECONOMIST WHO HAS BEEN FINED IN SINGAPORE FOR WRITING AN ARTICLE IN THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE IN WHICH HE CRITICIZED “INTOLERANT REGIMES” IN THE REGION.
CHRISTOPHER LINGLE, A UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA PH.D., WHO CUT SHORT HIS CONTRACT AS A SENIOR FELLOW OF EUROPEAN STUDIES AT THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, IN OCTOBER, 1994 BECAUSE OF POLICE HARASSMENT HE ALLEGEDLY SUFFERED, CURRENTLY IS A VISITING SCHOLAR AT EMORY UNIVERSITY AND IS RESEARCHING A BOOK ON ASIAN ECONOMIES.
HE TOLD GLOBALFAX LAST WEEK THAT IF HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SELECTING A SITE FOR A DISTRIBUTION OR OPERATIONS CENTER IN ASIA, HE WOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE AREA NEXT TO CAM RANH BAY IN VIETNAM BECAUSE OF THE FACILITIES THERE.
HIS “FIRST CHOICE WITHOUT A DOUBT” WOULD BE HONG KONG BECAUSE OF ITS INFRASTRUCTURE AND CAPITAL, HE ADDED, IF “IT REMAINS AS IT IS.” BUT, IN HIS OPINION, THAT LIKELIHOOD AFTER 1997 WHEN IT IS TRANSFERRED TO CHINA’S AUTHORITY IS SLIM.
SURPRISINGLY, IN VIEW OF HIS PROBLEMS WITH ITS AUTHORITIES, HE SAID THAT SINGAPORE “IN SOME MEASURE IS A GOOD CHOICE BECAUSE OF THE PIVOTAL ROLE THAT IT PLAYS, BUT ITS ECONOMY IS SO DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT THAT IF THINGS GO WRONG, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF CAPITAL FLIGHT AND IT WILL SHUT DOWN IN A HURRY.”
HE PREFERRED THE SUBIC BAY AREA OF THE PHILIPPINES BECAUSE THE COUNTRY “IS FINALLY GETTING BACK ON TRACK” AND ITS GREATER DISTANCE FROM MAINLAND CHINA PROVIDES SOME PROTECTION FROM THAT COUNTRY’S PROCLIVITY TO PICK BORDER DISPUTES, HE SAID.
CHINA REPRESENTS THE GREATEST SOURCE OF INSTABILITY IN THE REGION, HE ADDED. “ITS LEADERSHIP ONLY BELIEVES IN THE SHOW OF FORCE AND AS THEY BECOME STRONGER, THEY WILL BE READY AND WILLING TO ASSERT THEMSELVES. IT’S OBVIOUS THAT U.S. INVESTMENTS IN THE REGION ARE WELCOMED BY MANY COUNTRIES AS A COUNTERBALANCE TO CHINA.”
DR. LINGLE MAY BE REACHED BY FAX AT (770) 772-0397.