S.E. Asia Faces Long-Term Trade Shift - washingtonpost.com

Regional analysts say, however, that the present crisis is not just another cyclical downturn but is instead a structural realignment and that Southeast Asia's export economies need to act quickly to adjust to a new reality in which American and European consumers will no longer be the main market.

"We are geared towards selling what the U.S. and Europe want, not what Asians want. We need a readjustment," said Supavud Saicheua, the managing director of Phatra Securities in Bangkok. "In the long term, Asians have to consume more, and Europe and the U.S. have to consume less."

S.E. Asia Faces Long-Term Trade Shift - washingtonpost.com