Tokyo, Mar 16, 2007 (ABN Newswire) - Can Asia sustain its impressive growth rate even if the US economy slows down? What does the evidence say? Has China succeeded in reining in overinvestment in key sectors? Will rising inflation put a brake on India's accelerating growth? What are the risks facing Asia in the year ahead? Has Asia finally overcome the painful memories of the crippling 1997/98 economic crisis?

Dr. Ifzal Ali, Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank, will address these issues and others at the launch of the Asian Development Outlook 2007. The ADO is ADB's flagship economic publication. It includes comprehensive economic analysis and forecasts of more than 40 economies in developing Asia and the Pacific, and examines medium-term trends and prospects by subregion - East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central and West Asia, and the Pacific.

ADO 2007 includes a special theme chapter on change and growth in Asian economies. The emergence of the People's Republic of China and India as economic powerhouses highlights the different growth paths that countries can take to achieve economic success. But are these different economic models sustainable?