Former president of the Philippines Fidel Ramos called for every nation of Asia to cooperate in making the next century the Age of the Pacific. Kabun Muto, former Foreign Minister of Japan, commented that because the countries of Asia have large populations, which are hard-working and well-educated, he sees great prospects for the development of the Asia-Pacific region, despite the need of many countries to recover from the recent financial crisis.
菲律賓前總統羅慕斯呼籲亞洲各國共創下個世紀的太平洋時代，日本前外長武藤嘉文也認為亞洲國家人口多、勤奮、注重教育，因此雖然金融風暴使亞洲各國重創，他仍看好亞太地區的發展。