Asia's newest nation celebrated its 10th birthday this month: 20 May in Timor-Leste was a celebration of freedom that also deserved to be a celebration of development. After centuries of foreign rule, Timor-Leste has readied itself to be a full partner in what is shaping up as Asia's century.
Nation-building is a complex process, and the world's media have documented Timor-Leste's difficulties, from the graphic images of violent uprisings in 1999 and 2006, to the assassination attempts of 2008. These disturbing episodes earned it the moniker of fragile state. What some may have missed, however, is that Timor-Leste has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the Pacific. Projections by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) show the economy has the potential to sustain a near double-digit rate of growth over this decade and beyond.
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