China isn’t the only country giving out goodies in Asia

Historically, poor relations between Japan and South Korea have improved, increasing talk of collaboration over aid. Australia, the key donor to Pacific island states and keen to expand in Southeast Asia, also discusses working with “like-minded” partners. In theory, countries can bring complementary strengths—such as financial nous or expertise in training or renewable energy. But Kei Koga of SSS@NTU in Singapore says the collaboration challenges will be great—starting with budgeting since the countries’ fiscal calendars are not aligned. As for drawing in the private sector, which donors aspire to do, the challenge is making the proposition safe and attractive enough for private capital.

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