A valid rebuttal to the "learn an Asian language" enthusiasts who push Asia as a separate world. Especially over the presumption that we are starting from a White Australia perspective.

The whole idea of more Asian language training in high schools is invalid. Other than Bahasa Indonesia-Malay all the other Asian languages would probably require an Honours Degree and constant attention to keep up proficiency. This is talking Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean - don't know about Hindi.

The author wrote, "Indeed, with the region's middle-classes expected to swell to 3.2 billion by 2030, Asian consumers and companies could open up rivers of gold for Australia goods and services exporters."

A good is a tangible item which can be exported. However, I understand a service as an act performed by an individual and don't understand how one can export a service without exporting the individual providing the service.

'our migration program is bringing in the knowledge and experience needed in the Chinese and Indian-led Asian Century'.

Led in what excactly?

What are you saying? Australia, and other Western nations, did not have good and necessary ideas.

I think the free trade think tanks sometimes lose the plot with their emphsis mostly on economic freedom.

Personally, i dont see much optimism from an Asian led 21st century, although i dont really belive it will happen besides them having very large economies.

Will China and India shows us the way how to exploit workers to gain profit; will they show us how to better balance environmental and economic considerations? Will they show how us to benefit wihout doing much about corruption? Doubt it.

For myself, i still look to Western traditions and Enligtenment hopes that we, as Western nations, an address our present predicament to encourage a shift in our policy mix that takes accout of the strengths and weaknesses of recent trends.

I would have though that this should be the new focus of the IPA and CIS. Australia having a lot of Asians, or needs to do little, tells me very little.