Introduction

Whether described as a Triad in Ohmae’s terms,1 or the Three Thirties as in financial markets parlance, world economic activity has consolidated over the last decade into a three-legged phenomenon involving North America, West Europe and East Asia. Each region now commands more or less a third of total world GNP, hence the term Three Thirties’. Of the three regions, East Asia has attracted the most interest since it is the recent recruit, setting aside Japan, to the world’s prosperity club.