Comparing the lot of billions and billions of Asian people now, compared with 50 years ago, we can only declare the movement for free trade a resounding success, and the author should be congratulated for participating in it.

Well it's a nice dream and only partly realized, as a consequence of the still very powerful poverty conscious, who think that there has to be a limit to wealth, which therefore, needs to be confined in fewer and fewer hands.
Making a mockery of genuine advances, as advocated in the article.
Yes, wealth may well be finite, but not the number of hands it can pass through and around and around, doing good economic work at each small stop!
This is how to grow universal wealth and or, the economies of all countries!
And this very model is facilitated by trade, not aid!
And this is patently prevented, by those who hoard wealth or demand an entirely unfair proportion of it, for white color work.
The Chinese have got it right, and still value blue collar over white collar work.
We used to, when executive salaries, never ever maxed out above 30 or so multiples, of that awarded on the factory or shop floor; as simple recognition, that the result however large, is due to many hands and much cooperation, rather than so called executive decisions!
The missing element here is ultra cheap energy, made almost impossible, by speculation, and or, a small cadre, who only ever see limiting self interest, or energy as an economic weapon.
And each of the latter examples, set mate against mate and state against state, and must therefore, be replaced by examples, that none of the aforementioned actually control or are able to influence.
The creation of hydrogen, i.e., utilizing endlessly reliable sea water, and solar thermal generators, reliant on, the older/pre electricity, but vastly modernized, cracking of the water molecule!
Or finally collecting and turning into very cheap energy, waste generated biogas, with which, we could, endlessly power entire cities!
And virtually all our transport solutions could be powered by farmed algae. Some types are up to 60 oil, and even produce naturally occurring diesel, and or jet fuel!
There's not much you can't run, even limited to just those two endlessly sustainable, cheaper choices.
Rhrosty.

'... whether Asian countries could demonstrate the moral solidarity and the political will to confront and destroy the ancient scourges of mankind - poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance.'

'The 50th anniversary of UNCTAD attests to the gradual but universal recognition that international solidarity is the most fitting response to the need for transformations towards equity, sustainability, security and empowerment...'

The reality is that the development and movement of people from 'poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance' has buggar all to do with 'international solidarity' and everything to do with the systems of capitalism and liberalism that lead the 'transformations towards equity, sustainability, security and empowerment' and which as a consequence led to the removal of 'poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance' from the west generations ago.

Why do lefties propagandise and try to deny this inconvenient truth?

So 'solidarity' means handing over large amounts of taxpayers' earnings to other nations on the assumption that we can trust their governments? Perhaps we should first ask the citizens of these countries if THEY trust their governments. After all, they're in a better position to know.

The magic of solidarity worked for the Greeks, Italians and Spanish. Why wouldn't we want that magic of solidarity here and worldwide?