The resource-rich developing world, although not entirely unaffected by the global financial crisis, has in some cases fared better than expected and rebounded quicker than some of the largest and most sophisticated economies in the world. 

The Asia region is perhaps best placed to lead the comeback, driven in no small way by China, but there are other emerging investment destinations in the region that offer prospective ground and amenable political environments, which in most cases welcome investment.  

 

Countries such as Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and others have the infrastructure and systems in place for the rapid development of mining projects.

Also, just as important, they are situated in the right address for easy access to the countries with the most voracious appetites for commodities – China and India. They will continue to cash in on the resources boom – and are likely to be only peripherally affected by a recession in the United States or Europe.

 

Similarly, the various “stans” which were previously part of the old USSR offer new and emerging jurisdictions previously off limits to Western explorers – including Australia. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, all within close proximity to the resource guzzlers of China and India, are increasingly well placed to cash in on the mining boom – which will help develop their countries.

 

The flood of Australian exploration and mining expertise to the Asia region continues unabated. While many perceive Australia as a mature exploration environment, this is not the case with many of the south Asian countries. Modern geophysical and geoscientific techniques which, for many years, have been applied and perfected by Australian explorers on their own turf, will continue to find the multi-commodity orebodies which lie within the Rim of Fire and central Asia.

 

One of the most important objectives of the Asia Downunder Conference, to be held at the Sheraton Perth Hotel on 13-14 April, 2010, is to bring together all the players, from Asia and Australia to share their stories and to network.