ECONOMY South Korea's GDP expanded by 12.8% in the year to the
first quarter, helped by a surge in exports and strong capital
investment. Over the same period, Malaysia's economy grew by
11.7%, Singapore's by 9.1% and Taiwan's by 7.9%. China's
current-account surplus narrowed to $15.7 billion in 1999, down
from $29.3 billion in 1998.