In some cases this BIS Review 111/1997  -2-  started in the 1960s and 1970s, but by the 1980s most economies in the region were expanding vigorously. Foreign net capital inflows grew, but until recently were relatively modest.
The World Bank estimates that net inflows of long-term debt, foreign direct investment, and equity purchases to the Asia-Pacific region were only about $ billion in 1990, but exploded to more than $ billion by 1996; less comprehensive data suggest that inflows rose to a still higher rate earlier this year.