Kishore Mahbubani

In a HARDtalk interview shown on 28th April 2008, Stephen Sackur talks to Kishore Mahbubani, Former Singapore Ambassador to the UN

The United States is beset by economic woes with a credit crunch and recession looming.

China on the other hand can still boast double digit growth and an orgy of construction.

Is it time to acknowledge a fundamental shift in the balance of economic and political power from west to east?

Kishore Mahbubani is a veteran Asian diplomat who has pinned his reputation on that very idea.

But is Asia really ready to lead the world?

HARDtalk is broadcast on BBC World News at 03:30 GMT, 08:30 GMT, 14:30 GMT, 20:30 GMT and 22:30 GMT.

Hardtalk can also be seen on BBC News at 04:30 & 23:30.