Average economic growth among Asia’s developing countries was expected to slow to around five per cent in 2001 before recovering to nearly six per cent in 2002, Asian Development Bank president Tadao Chino said.

In 2000, the region’s economic growth was over seven per cent. Chino said in an interview yesterday. His comments were embargoed until Tuesday.

The ADB defines developing Asia as all countries in the Asia Pacific region, including four central Asian nations but excluding Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Afghanistan and North Korea.

He said the slowdown would be most apparent in Hong Kong. Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, where on average GDP growth would be four per cent in 2001 against 8.4 per cent last year. However, growth should recover to six per cent in 2002.