BANGKOK - Developing
Asia's 2012 growth prospects are being hit by the worsening eurozone
crisis and a sluggish recovery in the United States, according to new
figures released by the Asian Development Bank.
The bank revised
its 2012 growth forecasts for the US and Europe, projecting US economic
growth of 1.9 percent, down from 2.0 percent, and saying it expects the
eurozone economy to contract 0.7 percent, up from 0.5 percent
previously.
The bank said emerging economies were "increasingly vulnerable to weak economic prospects in the US and euro area".
Slowing
growth in Asia's two largest developing economies, China and India,
coupled with the unwinding of policy stimulus in other regional
countries have also hit Asian growth prospects, the Manila-based bank
said.
"Economic growth in developing Asia moderated during the
first half of 2012 as slower growth in the US and euro area reduced
demand for the region's exports," the report, released Wednesday, said.
"Worries over the economic strength of important developing (Asian) economies have also emerged recently," it added.
Developing
Asian economies will expand by 6.6 percent in 2012 and 7.1 percent in
2013, the bank said, trimming its forecasts for 6.9 percent and 7.3
percent growth made in April.
A fall in net exports, industrial
production, and fixed asset investment in China prompted the bank to
lower its gross domestic product growth forecast for 2012 to 8.2
percent, down from 8.5 percent.
The ADB said India's prospects
were clouded by a combination of high inflation and poor external and
internal demand, and lowered its GDP growth forecast to 6.5 percent for
2012 from 7.0 percent previously.
Southeast Asia is likely to escape the worst impacts of the weaker global environment, the ADB said.
"A
strong rebound in Thailand, healthy growth in the Philippines, and
increasing consumer demand in Indonesia have helped the sub-region," the
bank said in a statement.
The Southeast Asian economies were
expected to post growth of 5.2 percent in 2012 and 5.6 percent in 2013,
virtually unchanged from predictions made in April.
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