Bringing the IMF closer to Asia      

Christine Lagarde's maiden speech as the new chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was as safe as it was predictable. Speaking to an audience of 300 at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday (July 27), Lagarde addressed the global challenges of sovereign debt in the United States and Europe, slowing growth in emerging markets, and social instability in the Arab world. She emphasised the core principles of the IMF she believes will keep it relevant in an increasingly interconnected world. But in that speech there was disappointingly little mention of Asia. In fact, the word China came up only once, and Asia did not get a look in at all. (ANN/The Straits Times)

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