~This Issue's Index~

Binary Asia
From the Editors

In America at press time, an uneasy NASDAQ seemed to be faltering, mostly because high-tech stocks were posting huge losses. Pundits claimed that the market was just reflecting the reality that many of the newest high-tech companies just didn't seem to be producing any value. Dire speculations that the America's economy was a treacherous bubble about to burst seemed to be coming true. But with all the fear of the bear market's claws, this bleak portrayal of the technology industry was only one part of the picture. While the American high tech industry may have already reached its first stage of maturity, the "New Economy" is still in its early stages in Asia. There is one key difference, however: the governments, tech firms, and entrepreneurs of the Asia-Pacific are learning from the example that Silicon Valley has set, drawing equally from its successes and shortcomings. Do not be surprised if the technology revolution takes on a whole different form in Asia.

The appeal of the Internet is that its content can be delivered without consideration of distance. The Internet could thus be the factor that turns China into the huge market for international goods and services that industrialists have always hoped for. As a results, our feature naturally focuses on China. Two entrepreneurs involved in the Internet industry give there first hand assessments of the viability of this new economy. Yan Xia from Sinoscape, which was founded in China in 1999, questions whether the Internet advantage will turn up empty in China, while Wong Toon King enumerates large scale reforms that will prime the field for innovation in Singapore. Similarly, Hironobu Tamaki from the older guard of Japan reflects on the substance behind the technology ventures in Japan.

Duncan Clark shows us how the Internet Revolution is going to have a distinctly different flavor from the revolution in America; instead of millions surfing on their home computers, Clark predicts that China's millions will be surfing on the run, on portable electronics. Ang Peng Hwa and Kathleen Hartford provide the academic's perspective on the implications of technological developments. A conversation with Larry Wang reveals the more human side of technology - Wang helps to place the people who are leading the tech industry in Asia. Finally, Yin Zhihe, from the Beijing Software Industry Association explains how organized development may be the key to making Asia unique.

Regardless of what form the New Economy ultimately takes, there is no doubt that the Internet and all its complex ambiguities has already changed the way many people think, from the educators who are realizing that their students need a new skill set, to the industry experts who fear that their successes may be hindered by the vestiges of traditional economics, to the business people who see the Internet boom as the latest get-rich-quick scheme. One thing is certain, of those who can afford to be online, few are passing up the chance to get a taste of the Internet's borderless information. This multitude of new interactions and new resources which accompany technology are fundamentally changing the way that the people in Asia relate to each other and the outside world. News of the outskirts of Western China travels much faster, and people and organizations can more easily collaborate with or learn from their counterparts around the world. Thus, Human Rights and the advent of the Internet are closely intertwined and our sub-feature examines how some organizations are reaping benefits of mobilizing via the Internet while others questions what restrictions to information their governments will impose on this free medium.

Whether you draw more similarities between Asia and America's technological revolution, this is an exciting time to be on-line in Asia. The evolution of government, society, business, and society to accommodate the New Economy will be exciting-be sure to stay tuned.