Massage chairs are good business in stressed-out Singapore and local producer Osim is hoping its mechanical manipulators can also go global.
At the company's headquarters, the first thing you notice when you walk in is a large world map showing the countries where the firm has been expanding.
Each nation is picked out by a big grey dot and the tightest concentration is in East Asia, a region that is providing the firm with a steady heartbeat of new growth.
"Since 2009, we have seen a 25% year-on-year growth in this region," explains Peter Lee, Osim's chief financial officer.
"East Asian consumers have been consuming more and contributing positively to growth. We see that trend continuing in the near term."
'Rise of the East' While East Asia may not be the best-known of global regions, it contains a mix of established powerhouses, such as China, and hot destinations such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines.
"It is the rise of the East that is driving the fundament shift in the world's centre of economic gravity," says Pushan Dutt, a professor of economics at business school Insead.
"East Asian economies are starting to have a much bigger share of the global gross domestic product (GDP), they are key to the global production chain and a large chunk of the world's population lives here."
According to the World Bank, the developing East Asia region, which includes China, grew by 8.2% in 2011.
Even if you exclude China, the world's second-largest economy, the region's growth rate was still a healthy 4.2% and it is forecast to expand by 5.2% in the current year.
Domestic demand One of the key factors helping growth has been increasing domestic demand and coverage.
As the economies have grown, so have income levels, giving more spending power to consumers.
East Asia has also benefited from growth in the size of the working-age population.
Not only has that ensured a steady supply of labour, it also means that more people have been earning money, which they have been either saving or spending, helping underpin growth in their respective economies.
Growing domestic consumption has also helped offset a slowdown in exports from the region after demand from key markets such as the US and Europe slowed.
Analysts say that East Asian consumers are likely to play an increasingly bigger role in global growth.
"Currently the world suffers from a lack of demand," says Mr Dutt of Insead.
"The US and Europe are not consuming enough and you need an alternate source of demand, for which East Asia is a potential candidate."
Investment boost The other main factor behind East Asia's expansion has been the rise in investment, both domestic and foreign.
Many of the region's economies are at a developing stage, which means that governments in those countries have been allocating resources and funds to improve infrastructure.
In its latest report on the region, the World Bank noted that higher investment, particularly in infrastructure, "offers the potential to sustain growth" in the region.
At the same time, the region has also become the destination of choice for foreign investors.
Emerging economies in East Asia accounted for 43% of all foreign direct investment in developing areas globally last year.
Vulnerable growth Yet while there are a lot of positives, the region is not immune from problems. There is no doubt that a slowdown in China - which comprises 80% of developing East Asia's GDP - would significantly damage the region's prospects.
However, some analysts also believe that if the slowdown in China is a gradual one, then it might in fact be beneficial for the other economies of East Asia.
With China consuming less, commodity prices would drop, putting a cap on inflation and freeing up money for development projects and spending, says Ruchir Sharma, managing director of Morgan Stanley and the author of Breakout Nations.
He adds that with manufacturing costs also rising in China, other nations may be able to start ramping up their own manufacturing operations.
"As costs in China go up, manufacturing could be moving more to places such as Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand," he explains.
A shift of manufacturing would most likely be accompanied by increased investment and job creation, which in turn would help stoke consumer demand and spending.
For analysts and companies such as massage-chair maker Osim, that is a virtuous circle they hope will spell years of growth and profits.

The remains include suicide bombers and militants who died in operations as far back as 1975.
The repatriation of the bodies forms part of a deal to end a mass hunger strike by hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Israeli officials say the transfer is a confidence-building gesture.
Coffins containing the remains, which had been interred in numbered graves in an Israeli military cemetery for "enemy combatants", were handed over at dawn.
The head of the Palestinian general committee for civil affairs said 79 had been transferred to Ramallah, and 12 taken to Gaza.
Special ceremonies will be held later, before the bodies are buried again.
According to Israeli media, Hamas will hold a full military service for the remains in Gaza, with each coffin receiving a 21-gun salute. They will then be shuttled to various towns for burial.
The repatriation has long been a sensitive issue often subject to prolonged negotiations, the BBC's Jon Donnison in Ramallah says.
The dead are considered martyrs by Palestinians, but terrorists by Israelis, and their remains are used as bargaining chips, he says.
Earlier this month Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails agreed to end a mass hunger strike, which had been going on for more than two months.
More than 1,500 Palestinians had been refusing food to demand an improvement in conditions.
There were fears of a violent Palestinian backlash, had any of the inmates died.
The mother of one of the dead, Um Ramez Obeid, said the transfer made her "very happy".
"We have waited for this moment for 16 years. The more they talked about the deal to hand over the bodies, the more we hoped his body will be among them.
"God willing they will hand over his body to us, to be buried next to his father at the cemetery. We will visit him, even if he is dead and is in the grave, I feel that he is returned to me."
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said he hoped the "humanitarian gesture" would help get the peace process back on track.
"Israel is ready for the immediate resumption of peace talks without any preconditions whatsoever," he said.
Direct talks collapsed in December 2010 over Israel's refusal to stop building settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The 31-year-old made his debut in 2004 and played 127 one-day internationals and 36 Twenty20 internationals.
"I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the World Cup in 2015," he said.
"I still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket."
His 4,184 one-day international runs puts him sixth in the all-time list of England batsmen, and he heads their T20 list with 1,176 runs, the only England player to pass four figures in the shortest form of the game.
Pietersen, who was Player of the Tournament in England's ICC World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean in 2010, had been expected to be at the forefront of the side again during this year's tournament, which takes place in Sri Lanka from 18 September to 7 October.
Managing director of England Cricket, Hugh Morris said: "The England and Wales Cricket Board is disappointed by the timing of Kevin's decision less than four months before we defend our ICC World Twenty20 title.
"Kevin is a world class player and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his efforts and we look forward to his continued contributions to the Test match side.
"As the programming and planning for ODI and T20 format cricket are very closely linked we have a selection policy that means that any player making himself unavailable for either of the one-day formats, rules himself out of consideration for both formats.
"The selectors will now replace Kevin in both the ODI and the T20 squads."
Pietersen said: "For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20."
The batsman's relationship with the England and Wales Cricket Board, which came under scrutiny when he resigned from the England captaincy in January 2009 following a rift with then coach Peter Moores, was tested again this month after he was fined for criticising commentator Nick Knight on Twitter.
England captain Andrew Strauss retired from one-day internationals after the 2011 World Cup to concentrate on Test cricket, while in 2009 Andrew Flintoff chose to end his Test career in the hope of prolonging his ODI future, although injury soon ended his career.
In an interview with BBC Sport late last year, England spinner Graeme Swann said that the 50-over one-day international format should be scrapped.

Hillary Clinton's comments came after Russia and China renewed opposition to tougher UN Security Council action.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has repeated a warning that Syria could be moving towards "catastrophic" civil war, in the wake of the Houla massacre.
Rebel commanders are meanwhile split on whether abandon a ceasefire if Syrian forces do not withdraw to barracks.
The FSA's Colonel Qassim Saadeddine in Homs said that if there was no government response by Friday lunchtime the FSA would consider itself "no longer bound" by the plan.
But the FSA head, General Riyad Asaad, later denied the deadline existed.
The BBC's Paul Wood, who has just returned from three weeks inside Syria, says there is no ceasefire holding on the ground.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has come under intensified pressure to adhere to the ceasefire plan since the Houla massacre, in which more than 100 people - many of them children - died.
Mrs Clinton, speaking on a visit to Denmark, said the case for military intervention was growing stronger every day.
"[The Russians] are telling me they don't want to see a civil war. I have been telling them their policy is going to help to contribute to a civil war," she told an audience in Copenhagen.
Mr Ban, speaking at a conference in Turkey, said UN monitors had not been sent to Syria "just to bear witness to the slaughter of innocents".
"We are not there to play the role of passive observer to unspeakable atrocities," he said.
"The massacre of civilians of the sort seen last weekend could plunge Syria into catastrophic civil war - a civil war from which the country would never recover."
Commander's ultimatum Col Saadeddine's ultimatum, citing the Houla massacre, was given in a video released online, in which he said the government had to "implement an immediate ceasefire, withdraw its troops, tanks and artillery from Syrian cities and villages".
But Colonel Asaad, speaking to al-Jazeera by phone from Turkey, insisted the FSA was "committed to the Kofi Annan plan and committed to international resolutions and implementing this plan".
"There is no deadline; however, we hope that Kofi Annan will issue a statement to announce the failure of this plan," he said.
The UN Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Syria on Friday looking into the killings, officials said.
As many as 15,000 people have been killed since the revolt against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad began in March of last year.

That is the main thrust of a long, detailed and fascinating piece in the New York Times.
It comes as experts have been telling me that the president is wrong to see drones as a "silver bullet" that solves some critical problems about the morality and efficacy of America's use of military power.
The New York Times paints a picture of a regular, 100-strong video conference meeting that decides the names to be put on a "kill list": the next suspected terrorists to be targeted.
It quotes the president's national security adviser, Tom Donilon: "He is determined that he will make these decisions about how far and wide these operations will go… he's determined to keep the tether pretty short."
White House spokesman Jay Carney says he will not discuss specific details of decision-making.
The article confirms that the care taken by the president is significant and he takes "extraordinary measures" to avoid civilian casualties.
Obama's drone doctrine
In reality, I cannot believe that as many officials spoke as freely as they apparently did without being given the presidential green light.
At a time when Republicans want to paint Mr Obama as a ditherer, unwilling to take firm action, it paints him as tough and strong, willing to take hard decisions and kill America's enemies.
But this goes beyond political spin. It is a doctrine of warfare.
We have known for a while that drones are the president's weapon of choice.
He believes that they kill America's enemies with minimum risk to the innocent and are a "light foot-print" compared to the heavy boot of invasion and occupation. The Obama administration is becoming more and more frank about the useof these unmanned planes.
Some are appalled.
There are plenty of blogs which say that drone attacks are murder, plain and simple. Others argue that they are illegal under international law.
But some say they simply do not have the desired result. Gregory Johnsen of Princeton University is an expert on Yemen and he told me that the rain of drone attacks has strengthened the hand of terrorists there.
"Look at Yemen on Christmas Day 2009, the day the so-called underwear bomber attempted to bring down a flight over Detroit.
"On that day al-Qaeda numbered about 200 to 300 individuals and they controlled no territory. Now today, two-and-a-half years later, despite all the drone strikes al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has tripled in size, it's now around 1,000 members and it controls significant territory.
"The more the US bombs, the more they grow."
No 'silver bullet' He says drones strikes have killed women and children and al-Qaeda are adept at using this to recruit people for revenge.
Someone else who questions the light foot-print theory is David Rhode. He speaks form very personal experience. While a New York Times reporter, he was held hostage in the tribal areas of Pakistan by the Taliban. He recalled to me one attack.
"There was one drone strike close to the house where we were being held. It was so close that shrapnel and mud showered down into the courtyard.
"Just the force and size of the explosion amazed me. It comes with no warning and tremendous force."
He says that is not a light foot-print.
"They are a constant presence, you hear them circling over head the whole time.
"It's terrifying for everyone on the ground because they can hear it, like a small plane. What is so unsettling is you have no idea when this missile is going to come and kill you. There's a sense that your sovereignty is being violated.
"… It's a serious military action. It is not this light precise pin prick that many Americans believe."
Gregory Johnson says politicians can become mesmerised by this one tactic.
"The problem with drones is there is almost a seduction of simple solutions going on here. It is like a 'silver bullet', a magic missile solution to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and I think that's very dangerous.
"What needs to happen is that the US has to do the very hard policy of diplomacy, or intelligence on the ground. The United States has a huge tool box at its disposal in Yemen and it is only using one of these tools."
I suspect the sci-fi allure of bringing retribution from the skies, with no risk to any American lives, will out-weigh such considerations.
The president may think very carefully before he approves individual killings, but in the end, as a strategy, drone attacks have too many attractions compared to doing nothing or sending in the troops.

The clashes, in Jendouba, were sparked when the ultra-conservative Muslims began protesting against the arrest of four fellow Muslims.
The number of those who took part, some armed with clubs and Molotov cocktails, swelled to 500 during the day.
After setting fire to the security headquarters, the group attacked bars and stores selling alcohol.
The group were angered by the arrest of fellow Muslims in connection with previous attacks on alcohol sellers.
"This morning, four men were arrested in connection with attacks on alcohol vendors in recent days," Interior Ministry official Lutfi al-Haydari told Reuters.
One eyewitness in the town said some of the rioters were armed with petrol bombs.
"Masked Salafis armed with swords, petrol bombs and rocks attacked shops in the town and destroyed the goods inside and then set fire to the police station," the witness, who declined to give her name, told the news agency.
"The whole town is in a state of alarm and fear because of these clashes."
The country's official TAP news agency said police had fired tear gas to disperse the protesters who eventually took refuge in a mosque.
Since the fall in January 2011 of Tunisia's autocratic leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, there has been a resurgence of hardline Islamists in the country.
Some of the Salafists' most radical branches have been holding demonstrations to demand an introduction of Sharia law in Tunisia.
The violence came a week after Salafis attacked bars and other places selling alcohol in Sidi Bouzid, the central western town where the Tunisian revolution began, inspiring a wave of pro-democracy movements across North African and the Middle East.

Ashley Young's early goal provided the decisive moment of a low-key friendly that turned into an audition for several of Hodgson's shadow squad as he formulates his final plans for Euro 2012 after replacing Fabio Capello.
England showed early signs of the tactical discipline that will be demanded by Hodgson. And while the performance hardly set pulses racing, it should be remembered that the side that starts the serious action against France in Donestsk on 11 June will not resemble the one on show in Oslo.
If Hodgson was looking for early evidence of what he must improve before the tournament gets under way in Poland and Ukraine, it was carelessness in possession - especially in the second half - that will not go unpunished against opposition superior to Norway.
Hodgson was able to introduce Arsenal teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for his debut late on as this makeshift England line-up closed out a victory that was solid for the most part without ever threatening to be spectacular.
There was also an injury scare for Hodgson as midfielder Gareth Barry, who was substituted after replacing captain Steven Gerrard at the start of the second half, was replaced by Liverpool's Jordan Henderson with 17 minutes left.
Hodgson admitted there would be an early element of experimentation about England's side, with his focus firmly on that opening Euro 2012 meeting with France, perhaps even above getting a victory in Norway.
He would still have been looking for encouraging signs, however, especially from striker Andy Carroll. The Liverpool forward's presence has taken on increasing importance with Rooney suspended and Danny Welbeck's ankle injury still a source of concern.
And Carroll provided a hint of what Hodgson was looking for in the opening minutes as he sent a header wide from Stewart Downing's cross before playing a role in Young's fine individual effort after nine minutes.
England's formation was a rigid 4-4-2 against a Norway side of surprisingly limited ambition and on one of the rare occasions James Milner got in the action he forced a save from Jarstein.
Gerrard had been loudly cheered before kick-off as a result of Liverpool's large Norwegian following - but he was being jeered as the villain by the time he ended his 45-minute appearance after a heavy challenge that resulted in Tom Hogli being replaced by Espen Ruud.
England's failure to retain the ball inevitably encouraged Norwegian pressure and keeper Robert Green needed to be alert to block John Arne Riise's powerful drive at his near post.
As the game drew to a muted conclusion, there was even time for Liverpool defender Martin Kelly, who did not make England's standby list for Euro 2012, to get his first cap as an 87th-minute substitute.
It underlined the experimental nature of this fixture, a fact acknowledged by Hodgson as he began his tenure with victory.

He hit an unbeaten 102 as the hosts closed the second day at Trent Bridge on 259-2, trailing by 111.
"We're in a good position," Strauss told BBC Sport. "We're still 100-odd behind so we need to work hard.
"This wicket tends to get a bit up and down towards the back end so we need to bat long and maybe bat once."
Strauss ended a run of 18 months without a century at Lord's as England won the first Test of the three-match series by five wickets.
"(Today) was one of the more enjoyable ones. I wasn't fighting against myself, it was a nice placid wicket and it was fantastic to keep going after that century at Lord's.
"Once you're in there's no reason why you shouldn't score reasonably freely but it's more about getting over the new ball and getting the first 20 or 30 runs."
The captain how has 21 Tests centuries, moving ahead of Graham Gooch, Ken Barrington and Kevin Pietersen and within one of the record jointly held by Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott.
Strauss said: "I kind of knew. It was nice to ease one ahead of Graham Gooch - I think that was nice for the lads - but there are a couple of people breathing down my neck who I sure will pass whatever tally I get."
The 35-year-old left-hander has never scored more than six runs the morning after reaching three figures, and added: "My conversion rate the next day has not been a strong point for me so I'm going to have to think of a different tactic to employ, but I'm sure I'll have a glass of something tonight."

James McClean, making his first Irish start, tested keeper Asmir Begovic in the opening half while Glenn Whelan appeared to be denied a clear penalty.
Both McGeady and Jon Walters hit the woodwork as the Republic took control.
McGeady's superb cross set up Shane Long's 77th-minute goal and Walters and Long missed further late chances.
The big talking point about Giovanni Trapattoni's selection had been his decision to give McClean a first Republic start but after a bright opening period, the Sunderland youngster was overshadowed by substitute McGeady's second-half contribution.
Trapattoni was forced to make a late change to his line-up with Sean St Ledger not risked because of a groin twinge and Darren O'Dea drafted into the centre of defence alongside Richard Dunne.
The Bosnians, whose Euro 2012 hopes were ended by Portugal in the play-offs, included Manchester City star Edin Dzeko and Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
As is habitually the case for Trapattoni's Irish, it was the opposition who looked the more fluent outfit early on with Vedad Ibisevic getting in behind the defence in the fourth minute but failing to find a team-mate.
Dzeko got into another dangerous position five minutes later and Dunne needed to make a vital interception as the Manchester City star attempted to pick out Ibisevic in the Irish six-yard box.
But the Irish appeared to be denied a stonewall penalty four minutes later as Glenn Whelan was upended by his Stoke team-mate Begovic.
McClean's every touch was receiving loud cheers and he beat two tackles after cutting infield to set up a chance on 25 minutes but his fellow Derryman Darron Gibson pulled his shot badly wide from the edge of the box.
Both teams went close in the five minutes before half-time as the pace picked up.
Miralem Pjanic tested Keiren Westwood from distance in the 40th minute and Dzeko wasted a chance a minute later as he attempted to control a Senad Lulic cross instead of heading directly at goal.
McClean continued his promising opening as he tested Begovic at the near post on 42 minutes after a perfect touch to control Doyle's deep cross.
Trapattoni withdrew Duff and Whelan at the interval with McGeady and Keith Andrews introduced.
McGeady's first touch almost yielded a goal two minutes after the resumption as his volley struck a post after Kevin Doyle had nodded a McClean free-kick back across goal.
But the Bosnians were still threatening and Westwood did well to push Pjanic's dipping free-kick over the bar.
Sub Walters missed a excellent chance on 73 minutes as his pointblank header from six yard out rattled the crossbar after McGeady's floated cross.
However, Long showed the Stoke man the way to finish four minutes later as he nodded home after another superb cross from McGeady, whose efforts after his introduction suggested that he has no intention of meekly surrendering his regular starting role to McClean.
Walters should have made to 2-0 a minute later after more brilliant work by McGeady but Begovic blocked his club-mate's chance.
Sub Mehmed Alispahic missed a superb opportunity to level on 88 minutes after a Stephen Ward mistake but the Republic ended the game on the attack as Begovic made a magnificent save to deny the lively Long.
The Republic players next travel to their pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Italy before facing Hungary in another friendly on 4 June.
Trapattoni's men start their Group C campaign against Croatia in Poznan on Sunday, 10 June before taking on Spain and Italy.

Candidate Png Eng Huat 62.09% of votes in the district of Hougang. Desmond Choo, of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), polled 37.91%.
Workers' Party Secretary General Low Thia Khiang described the win as a "very good result".
PM Lee Hsien Loong said he was pleased that PAP's share of the vote increased.
The vote took place a year after the PAP - which has been in power more than half a century - suffered its worst performance in a general election.
"I respect the choice of Hougang voters. The PAP will continue to be present in Hougang, and I am confident that we will win back the constituency in a future election," Mr Lee said.
Analysts said issues such as a liberal immigration policy, a growing income gap and high salaries for cabinet ministers had stopped the PAP winning more votes.
Hougang, in the island's north-east, has been represented by the opposition for more than 20 years.
The former MP, Yaw Shin Leong, was expelled by the Workers' Party (WP) on 15 February over allegations of an extramarital affair.
Mr Yaw had won the seat over the PAP's Mr Choo in last year's general election, with 64.8% of the votes.
The last poll in 2011 was seen as a landmark election for the city state with significant gains for the opposition, which took six of the 87 seats - their best performance since Singapore's independence in 1965.
Although the ruling party won the great majority of seats, the party's share of the popular vote slipped to around 60% - a drop from about 67% in 2006.
After months of speculation on whether a by-election would be called, President Tony Tan issued the writ of election on 9 May.
Following that, Prime Minister Lee posted a statement on his recently set-up Facebook page.
''The by-election will give Hougang residents the chance to elect a new MP to serve them. I encourage Hougang voters to use this opportunity wisely, to elect the best candidate with commitment and integrity," he said.
Candidate Png Eng Huat 62.09% of votes in the district of Hougang. Desmond Choo, of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), polled 37.91%.
Workers' Party Secretary General Low Thia Khiang described the win as a "very good result".
PM Lee Hsien Loong said he was pleased that PAP's share of the vote increased.
The vote took place a year after the PAP - which has been in power more than half a century - suffered its worst performance in a general election.
"I respect the choice of Hougang voters. The PAP will continue to be present in Hougang, and I am confident that we will win back the constituency in a future election," Mr Lee said.
Analysts said issues such as a liberal immigration policy, a growing income gap and high salaries for cabinet ministers had stopped the PAP winning more votes.
Hougang, in the island's north-east, has been represented by the opposition for more than 20 years.
The former MP, Yaw Shin Leong, was expelled by the Workers' Party (WP) on 15 February over allegations of an extramarital affair.
Mr Yaw had won the seat over the PAP's Mr Choo in last year's general election, with 64.8% of the votes.
The last poll in 2011 was seen as a landmark election for the city state with significant gains for the opposition, which took six of the 87 seats - their best performance since Singapore's independence in 1965.
Although the ruling party won the great majority of seats, the party's share of the popular vote slipped to around 60% - a drop from about 67% in 2006.
After months of speculation on whether a by-election would be called, President Tony Tan issued the writ of election on 9 May.
Following that, Prime Minister Lee posted a statement on his recently set-up Facebook page.
''The by-election will give Hougang residents the chance to elect a new MP to serve them. I encourage Hougang voters to use this opportunity wisely, to elect the best candidate with commitment and integrity," he said.

Mr Singh said he hoped to strengthen trade and diplomatic co-operation during his three-day trip.
He will meet President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose mother once served as Burma's ambassador to India.
The two nations share a 1,600km (1,000 mile) border, but relations have often been uneasy.
The Delhi government cold-shouldered Burma's military rulers during the 1990s, infuriating the generals by openly supporting Ms Suu Kyi.
But Mr Singh has overseen a dramatic turnaround in Delhi's policy, and controversially hosted former ruler Than Shwe on a state visit in 2010.
Before his current visit, Mr Singh said he wanted "stronger trade and investment links, development of border areas, improving connectivity between our two countries and building capacity and human resources".
Analysts say India is desperate to counteract the influence of China in the region, and Mr Singh will be keen to stress the close cultural and historical ties between the two countries.
India has already signed a number of deals for the exploitation of Burma's vast reserves of natural gas, and Indian firms are building ports and other infrastructure projects in Burma.
Last week, India made a symbolic announcement that transport links would be improved, including the first official bus route across the border.
India is now Burma's third biggest export market, behind China and Thailand.
But China still dominates oil and gas exploration in Burma and is involved in the construction of roads, pipelines and port facilities.
And the Burmese government's recent reforms have ended the country's international isolation, which means Western nations are joining the rush to invest.

Speaking to the Independent on Sunday after a visit to Germany, he said "any sense that Britain is lecturing is badly received and is not appropriate".
He also said that being called a socialist who did not support business was "absolutely ludicrous".
He was described as such by venture capitalist Adrian Beecroft.
Mr Beecroft's report, commissioned by the prime minister, on boosting growth was published last week. He suggested that bosses should be able to fire staff without giving a reason.
'Some humility' After his return from Germany on a visit with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Mr Cable said: "It is quite legitimate to point out that, although we are not in the eurozone, we are affected by it, and therefore can reasonably have a view.
"But I think any sense that Britain is lecturing is badly received and is not appropriate. I certainly approached my visit [to Germany] with some humility, because they are a very successful country and we have got to learn from them. Our credibility rests on how well we do with our economy."
His comments come after Prime Minister David Cameron said European leaders must come up with a "decisive plan" for Greece and to get EU economies moving.
On the future of the single currency, Mr Cable said the Germans "don't feel any need to panic".
He said: "There is a 'crisis, what crisis?' mood. Their economy is strong, it is doing very well."
Last week, revised figures showed that the UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the first three months of the year, more than previously thought.
Mr Cable defended his stance on helping businesses, saying of being described as a socialist that "one or two people apparently [have] a political axe to grind. I don't want to get embroiled in a punch-up with them. I am just concentrating on getting on with the job."

Officials said Li Xingong, a former senior official in the central city of Yongcheng, had confessed during a police interrogation.
He was accused of raping 10 girls.
The case sparked heated debate among microblog users, who frequently vent their frustration about perceived abuses of power by local officials.
Mr Li's name began circulating on websites last week.
He was arrested on Friday, and a statement from the party in Yongcheng city said the inquiry was continuing.
It added that he would be "severely and swiftly punished".
State-run Hangzhou Daily had previously reported that Mr Li was caught "committing the crime" outside a school on 8 May, though the paper did not specify the crime.

The Tuareg MNLA, a secular rebel group, and the Islamist group Ansar Dine signed the deal in the town of Gao, spokespeople said.
Ansar Dine, which has ties to al-Qaeda, has already begun to impose Sharia law in some towns.
The groups took advantage of a coup in March to seize the territory.
Correspondents say the deal is yet another worrying development for Mali and may complicate efforts to stabilise the country.
'Accord signed' Capt Amadou Sanogo seized power in March after claiming the then president, Amadou Toumani Toure, was not doing enough to quash the rebellion.
Faced with mounting international pressure and sanctions, he was forced to step down only three weeks later, but is still thought to wield power behind the scenes.
Previously, the MNLA had remained secular, resisting Ansar Dine's efforts to impose Islamic law in towns. Meanwhile, Ansar Dine had rejected the MNLA's call for an independent state.
Residents said there was celebratory gunfire in Gao and Timbuktu after the agreement.
More than 300,000 people have fled northern Mali since the rebels took the territory in the days following the coup.
Regional bloc Ecowas has said it is preparing to send 3,000 troops to Mali to help the country reclaim its northern territory, but no date has been set for the force to arrive.
Mali's interim president, Dioncounda Traore, is receiving medical tests in France after being beaten unconscious by protesters who supported the coup.
It is thought that soldiers allowed the demonstrators into Mr Traore's office, which is next to the presidential palace. Ecowas has warned of sanctions if the military are found to be involved.

A provincial spokesman said a couple and their six children died in an air strike on Saturday in the village of Suri Khail, Gurda Saria district.
Nato says it is investigating the reports.
Earlier, the alliance said four of its soldiers had died in separate bomb attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday.
'No Taliban link' Paktia provincial spokesman Rohullah Samoon told AFP news agency: "It was an air strike conducted by Nato.
"This man [the father] had no connection to the Taliban or any other terrorist group."
Nato spokesman Lt Col Jimmie Cummings acknowledged that coalition forces had been conducting an operation in Paktia province "against a large number of insurgents" on Saturday night.
He said the alliance was aware of the reports of civilian deaths and was investigating them.
Nato did not give details of the deaths of its four service members on Saturday, nor reveal the nationalities of the victims.
However, the UK's defence ministry confirmed to the BBC that they included a British soldier whose death was confirmed on Saturday.
The soldier, from 1st Battalion, The Royal Welsh, had been on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj region of Helmand province when his vehicle was hit by a bomb.
Earlier this month, Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that civilian casualties caused by Nato could undermine the strategic partnership agreement he had just signed with the US.
The 10-year accord outlines military and civil ties between the countries after the end of Nato's mission in Afghanistan in 2014.

Alois Denemarek was one of the last people to see Heydrich's assassin alive.
It was early June, 1942, and Mr Denemarek had travelled from his home village in Moravia to Prague. There, in a small park by the National Museum, he met his boyhood friend Jan Kubis.
In broad daylight, they had mortally wounded SS Obergruppenfuehrer Reinhard Heydrich, the acting Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia, as he was heading to Berlin for a meeting with Hitler.
Heydrich was known for his extraordinary brutality - even by Nazi standards. Hitler was beside himself with rage. The Nazis launched a massive manhunt.
"I remember what Jan said to me when I met him," Mr Denemarek, now 94, told the BBC from his home in South Moravia.
They had met to discuss how to help a wounded parachutist who the Denemarek family were sheltering in their hayloft. Kubis advised his friend not to risk bringing him to Prague.
"He said - look, things are a bit tense here at the moment."
That was something of an understatement.
Gun jammed The story of Operation Anthropoid, devised by Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE), has been told in countless articles, books and films.
On 27 May 1942, as Heydrich's open-top Mercedes limousine slowed to round a hairpin bend in Prague, Gabcik - armed with a Sten sub-machine gun - leapt in front of the car and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed.
Heydrich ordered his driver to halt and drew his pistol. Kubis threw a bomb, which exploded near the car, and fled. Heydrich, wounded and in shock, pursued his attackers for several metres before returning to the car and collapsing.
It initially seemed the attempt to kill Heydrich had failed. But he died in Prague's Bulovka hospital eight days later, reportedly from septicaemia from the shrapnel, or possibly fragments of upholstery.
"I'm incredibly proud of what my friend did," Mr Denemarek told the BBC.
"If it wasn't for Jan, I wouldn't be here today. Half the Czech nation wouldn't be here today. Heydrich had terrible plans for us Czechs," he went on.
In January of that year, Heydrich had chaired the infamous Wannsee Conference, which set out plans for the enslavement and murder of 11 million European Jews. The Slavs, according to Heydrich's plans, would be next.
Secret betrayed In the end, the three took their own lives. Bishop Gorazd, the Orthodox priest who had sheltered them, was arrested, tortured and executed.
Today, a few hundred metres from the church, on leafy Charles Square, a replica of a Nazi concentration camp has been erected, part of a series of exhibitions to commemorate the 70th anniversary. Inside the grey wooden huts are exhibits documenting the lives of 70 people who helped shelter the men.
"In 1942, the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia was beginning to seem like it would last forever," said journalist Mikulas Kroupa, director of the Post Bellum oral history project organising the exhibition.
"Most Czechoslovaks were paralysed by a feeling of defeat and humiliation. The killing of Heydrich roused the people into standing up to the Nazis. It showed we were not a nation of slaves," he told the BBC.
The human cost was enormous. The men's families were rounded up and shot. The Czech villages of Lidice and Lezaky - based on flawed intelligence reports linking them to the parachutists - were razed and their inhabitants shot or sent to the camps. Another 15,000 people met the same fate.
Heydrich's 'stupidity' Meanwhile, mass demonstrations of fealty to the Reich were held in Prague; those Czechs who attended were motivated perhaps more out of fear than grief.
Hitler organised two massive state funerals for his trusted lieutenant - one in Prague, one in Berlin. In private, however, Hitler fumed at Heydrich's "stupidity", calling his refusal to travel with a bodyguard or allow armour-plating on his car "idiotic".
The bend in the road is no longer there - it was eventually buried under a new highway by Communist city planners. Today the spot is marked by a memorial.
Alois Denemarek's family paid a heavy price for sheltering the injured parachutist. A year after Heydrich's assassination, the Gestapo burst into their farmhouse, arresting everyone inside. Mr Denemarek's brother and the parachutist were executed. His parents died in concentration camps.
Mr Denemarek himself miraculously escaped suspicion and survived. In a final ironic twist, after the war he was accused by the Communists of being a Nazi collaborator.
"Of course it was worth it, killing Heydrich," Mr Denemarek told the BBC.
"Even though it cost the lives of my family, my brother, my mother, my father and hundreds, thousands of other people."
"But as I always say - that's nothing compared to the losses we would have suffered if Heydrich had been allowed to live."

Prices rose by 0.2% from a year earlier, as fuel and energy costs jumped 4.7%.
Energy costs in Japan have risen after it shut all of its nuclear reactors in wake of last year's quake and tsunami.
However, prices excluding those of fuel and food fell, indicating that deflation remains a problem.
"The hope of Bank of Japan that deflation is already subsiding and a positive demand cycle is evolving seems to premature," Martin Schulz of Fujitsu Research Institute told the BBC.
Unsustainable demand While that may be good news for shoppers, falling prices hurt the economy as companies and consumers tend to put off purchases, in hope that prices will continue to fall and they may get a better deal down the road.
Analysts have said that a steady rise in consumer prices is key to Japan's economic recovery and the Bank of Japan has set a target of 1% price growth.
Though prices have been rising for the past three months, analysts said that the growth was due to factors that were actually hurting the economy or were not sustainable in the long run.
"Most of the price increases are driven by higher energy costs. These are actually going overseas, as fuel is being imported, so this is an overall negative for the economy," said Mr Schulz.
"A lot of the increase in prices is also being driven by government programmes, reconstruction and consumer incentives, this kind of demand is not sustainable."

Just over 10% of shareholder votes were against the proposed pay plan, which includes chief executive Stuart Gulliver's £7.2m package.
Shareholder pressure group Pirc had recommended voting against the bank's remuneration report.
HSBC has performed better than some rivals, but recent profits were down.
Last year's vote from shareholders at the annual general meeting (AGM) saw almost twice as many shareholders vote against the proposed pay awards.
The bank's chairman, Douglas Flint, implied it had to pay high rewards to attract the best people, saying: "We continued to develop a truly meritocratic culture because as international competition for the best talent intensifies, we need to ensure that HSBC is making the most of the skills and abilities of our people and encouraging them to reach their full potential."
Pirc had said that pay was not sufficiently linked to performance: "It is not clear, in the remuneration report, why a bigger emphasis was made on rewarding the chief executive for still being employed after a few years, rather than for leading the bank to outperform."
Last month, rival Barclays saw 27% of its shareholders vote against the pay recommendations.
That was almost three times the number who voted against the year before.
The insurance giant Aviva, bookies William Hill, miner Xstrata, Mirror Group newspapers' owner Trinity Mirror and Premier Foods are among those who have recently faced shareholder anger about pay levels for executives.
There was concern that bosses' pay did not reflect company performance at the firms, many of whom have seen share prices and profits fall.
Recent research carried out for the BBC by Manifest, the investor voting advisory service, found that the typical pay of bosses at the majority of the UK's largest publicly listed companies rose 11% last year to £3.65m.
Advice But even if the vast majority of shareholders vote down a proposal on executive pay, their decision only counts as a recommendation to the board, and can be ignored.
According to Sarah Wilson, chief executive of Manifest, there were twice the number of dissenting votes this year as last, as dissatisfaction grows in what is being described by some as the "shareholder spring".
HSBC has performed comparatively better for shareholders than rival Barclays; its shares have fallen 26% from the start of last year, while Barclays' share price dropped by 35% over the same time frame.
It is cutting costs, including 30,000 jobs worldwide as it looks to save $3.5bn worth of annual costs. Some 2,000 of those posts will go from its UK operations.

The authorities held Standard Chartered banker Eden Wu after one of her clients fled with millions of dollars.
The client is thought to be a senior banker called Sun Feng, who Chinese officials believe stole about $50m (£30m) before fleeing the country.
Ms Wu's fiance said in a blog that the authorities in the eastern city of Wuxi had cleared her of any wrongdoing.
But he said she would not be allowed to leave China for a year.
"They have determined that she has not done anything wrong and have released her, yet they are preventing her from leaving even after holding her for 79 days," said Jason Tan.
Reports say Ms Wu is also not allowed to speak to journalists, and was freed only after paying $7,000 bail.
Standard Chartered confirmed that she had been freed, but said it could not comment any further.
Reports say Sun Feng, a former executive of the state-owned Agricultural Bank of China, was one of Ms Wu's clients.

Two wickets apiece from Stuart Broad and James Anderson reduced the tourists to 63-4 after they won the toss and decided to bat on a pitch near-perfect for long innings.
But an unbroken stand of 168 between Samuels and his captain, after the usual stout resistance from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, first steadied a listing ship and then seriously frustrated England.
At the close West Indies had reached the comparative calm of 304-6, Samuels's third Test century - and his highest Test score - coming just before the close with a flick off the hip for four and celebrated with enormous satisfaction.
It was the highest seventh-wicket partnership by any team at Trent Bridge and as impressive as it had earlier seemed unlikely.
In conditions more familiar with the Caribbean than Nottingham, Sammy had no hesitation in opting to bat having won the toss.
With not a cloud in the sky from Scotland to Seville, there appeared to be little danger of the prodigious swing for which Trent Bridge is famed, while the pitch - hard, well-paced, true - looked a belter to bat on.
A moment later Anderson was left screaming in frustration when Tim Bresnan could not hang on to another sharp chance through the same area from the edge of Kirk Edwards's bat.
It was the briefest of reprieves. England's new player of the year produced a ball which cut in sharply off the seam, and Edwards's wide open gate did the rest.
With barely half an hour gone and only 26 on the board, Kieran Powell gave a better indication of batting conditions with a sequence of sweetly timed drives through cover and midwicket.
But Anderson had Darren Bravo caught at second slip by Graeme Swann from another pinpoint leg-cutter before taking another good catch at the other end to give Broad Powell's scalp for a brisk 33.
At Lord's a week ago Chanderpaul and Samuels had stood almost alone against England's bowlers, and for a sterile period around lunch they seemed ready to repeat the rearguard.
Despite a brace of half-chances off the edge, the pair extended their partnership to 62 at an almost imperceptible rate until Swann, to the delight of his home crowd, struck the key blow.
Chanderpaul was fooled in the flight by one that turned past his defensive prod and hit him on his back leg.
While umpire Asad Rauf initially turned the appeal down, the referral indicated the ball was hitting off stump an inch from the top. The West Indies cornerstone was gone for 46 and Swann celebrated wildly.
Denesh Ramdin soon followed, bowled with feet motionless by a full, fast one from Bresnan, to leave his side 136-6 and in deep trouble.
Anderson and Broad peppered Samuels and Sammy with a succession of short balls but the unheralded duo gradually found their shots as the old ball lost its shape and zip.
Samuels went to his half-century with a dismissive punch through the off side and began to accelerate, unperturbed by his side's precarious position and ably supported by his skipper.
Bresnan in particular was below his best, going for 1-82 from 21 overs as runs began to flow at increasing pace in the final session.
Both batsmen were able to work singles and crunch away the bad delivery, and when the new ball was taken an hour before the close it failed to seriously disturb their rhythm.
West Indies have never lost a Test at Trent Bridge. In eight previous matches they have won four and drawn four. England have won their last three Tests at the ground, all by huge margins.
Something will have to give. The smart money remains on it being West Indies, but the earlier certainty has now gone.

More than 20,000 residents of Hougang constituency in the island's northeast are eligible to vote.
They will be choosing between the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Desmond Choo and Png Eng Huat of the Worker's Party (WP).
The ward has been represented by the opposition for more than 20 years.
This is a rarity in the island nation, which has been led by a strong majority PAP government for most of the last five decades since the party first came to power in 1959.
The ruling party has cast this as a local election and its candidate has focused on improvements to the residential estate.
But the opposition party maintains the poll is more than that, saying issues faced by voters in Hougang are the same as for the rest of the nation, such as a widening income gap and the need for more diverse voices in parliament.
Some observers say the poll is being seen as an indication of whether the promises of change that the prime minister made after the general election - such as engaging the people more - have taken root.
'Best candidate' The two candidates and their supporters spent the past week campaigning, apart from a ''cooling off day'' on Friday when they were not allowed to canvass for votes.
The former MP, Yaw Shin Leong, was expelled by the WP on 15 February over allegations of an extramarital affair.
Mr Yaw had won the seat over the PAP's Mr Choo in the general election last year, with 64.8% of the votes.
The last poll in 2011 was seen as a landmark election for the city state with significant gains for the opposition, which took six of the 87 seats - their best performance since Singapore's independence in 1965.
Although the ruling party won the great majority of seats, the party's share of the popular vote slipped to around 60% - a drop from about 67% in 2006.
After months of speculation on whether a by-election would be called, President Tony Tan issued the writ of election on 9 May.
Following that, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posted a statement on his recently set-up Facebook page.
''The by-election will give Hougang residents the chance to elect a new MP to serve them. I encourage Hougang voters to use this opportunity wisely, to elect the best candidate with commitment and integrity," he said.

Speaking in Kabul, he said some 2,000 French soldiers would be out by the end of 2012, leaving 1,300 other non-combat troops for an unspecified period.
"The mission of fighting terrorism and chasing out the Taliban is close to being accomplished," he said.
France faces criticism for pulling out before Nato's planned 2014 withdrawal.
Mr Hollande, who took office earlier this month, flew into Kabul and held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai before a joint news conference.
He was also due to spend time with French soldiers during his short visit. He was said to want to "explain himself" to French soldiers, and make the reasons for the decision clear to them.
Under Mr Hollande's election pledge, French combat troops will go home a year earlier than the deadline set by former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Mr Hollande has described the early withdrawal as a "sovereign decision" and said that it would be "conducted in good understanding with our allies, especially President Obama - who understands the reasons - and in close consultation with Afghan authorities".
France is currently the fifth largest contributor to the Nato force in Afghanistan, with nearly 3,300 French soldiers stationed there.
Eighty-three have been killed during the deployment, which began in 2001.
Those French soldiers remaining in Afghanistan after combat troops leave will oversee the repatriation of equipment and help train Afghan security forces.
But Mr Hollande said French involvement in Afghanistan would continue - with a greater emphasis on civil and economic co-operation - including in areas like culture and archaeology.