No matter how you try to measure it, Asians are becoming wealthier. Fly into any capital city in the region and at once you will be struck by the display of wealth. From flashy condominiums to shopping precincts that cater to the surging middle class, Asia's affluent are growing.
When Anne Cuvelier first went to China about 14 years ago to promote her family's wine business, at a tasting event in Beijing she found that foreign producers and chateau owners vastly outnumbered customers.
By the end of this decade Singapore is expected to dislodge Switzerland as the wealth management capital of the world.
If you want to get some idea just how important China has become as a luxury consumer market you don't have to go further than the recent Beijing auto show.
Spotlights shine down as the waltz begins. In a long black chiffon gown that flutters like butterfly wings, she gracefully glides across the ritzy ballroom.
As night falls, a stream of trucks arrives at the Dounan flower market. Workers use flashlights as they unload roses, lilies and carnations.
Last year, Jinning county produced 2.4 billion fresh flowers on about 2,700 hectares of land for one yield, the Jinning Office of Flowers and Vegetables says. Yet 15 years ago, flower growing was a novelty for most villagers in Kunyang township, in Yunnan province.
Evidence is emerging that international finance will take over from trade as the principal projector of China's global influence.
The visit of Premier Li Keqiang to Kenya, part of a trip that also takes in Angola, Ethiopia and Nigeria, holds great significance for both China-Kenya and China-Africa relations.
Sometimes, the things that most people talk about, though important, end up being irrelevant in a few years. The current discussions in media circles about Shanghai's pilot Free Trade Zone appear headed in this direction, much like the pilot financial reforms in Wenzhou, or the new investment zones elsewhere in China.
China's consumer inflation fell to an 18-month low in April and factory-gate prices declined further, underlining sluggish domestic demand and raising concerns about deflation.
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