Photo montage by Adam Connors
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RANKINGS 1-5
| 6-10 | 11-15
| 16-20 | 21-25
| 26-30 | 31-35
| 36-40 | 41-45
| 46-50 | next
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David
G. McIntyre/Black Star for Asiaweek
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1
Li Ka-shing
CHAIRMAN, CHEUNG KONG HOLDINGS
BORN June 13, 1928, in Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
EDUCATION Little formal schooling
FAMILY Widowed; sons Victor and Richard Li
E-MAIL chairoff@ckh.com.hk
POWER POINTS Long a dominant player in old-economy Asia, Li
has moved boldy and successfully into the New Economy. His Hutchison
Whampoa is a market leader in telecommunications, while his Internet
portal Tom.com sparked wild investor enthusiasm. Li's clout has gone
global. His dealmaking netted his companies windfall profits from
telecoms mergers in Europe. And Hutchison's management contracts in
the Panama Canal have U.S. congressmen worried about a "security threat."
Li's close ties to top Chinese leaders continue to give him much political
influence.
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Xinhua/AFP
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2
Jiang Zemin
PRESIDENT OF CHINA, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF
CHINA
BORN Aug. 17, 1926, in Jiangsu province
EDUCATION Electrical engineering degree at Jiaotong University,
Shanghai
FAMILY Married with three sons, one adopted
POWER POINTS Flawless celebrations of the 50th anniversary
of the People's Republic were the highlight of a year in which Jiang
consolidated power through key appointments of allies and sought to
raise his status to match that of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. But
a crackdown on the Falungong group and liberals revealed his sense
of insecurity. A clumsy attempt to sway the Taiwan presidential election
backfired.
Ricky
Wong/Moonshine Photo for Asiaweek
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3
Idei Nobuyuki
CHAIRMAN (DESIGNATE) AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SONY CORP.
BORN Nov. 21, 1937, in Tokyo
EDUCATION Waseda University
FAMILY Married with a daughter
POWER POINTS In a year of aggressive restructuring, Idei accelerated
Sony's flight toward the Internet while still investing in hardware
"boxes" such as the hit PlayStation 2 game console. Undismayed by
the fact that group revenue in the year to March fell 1.7% to $61.61
billion, Japan's most gifted corporate player appointed himself chairman
(effective June 29) - a strategy designed to give him more time to
plot his company's high-wire transition to the Web.
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Seokyong
Lee/Black Star for Asiaweek
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4
Kim Dae Jung
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
BORN Dec. 3, 1925, in South Cholla Province, South Korea
EDUCATION Kyunghee University, Seoul
FAMILY Married to Lee Hee Ho, three sons (two from deceased
first wife Cha Yong Ae)
E-MAIL president@cwd.go.kr
POWER POINTS Still using an iron fist inside a steel glove,
Kim has steered South Korea out of its economic crisis. His willingness
to allow the mighty Daewoo conglomerate go under showed there will
be no let-up in corporate restructuring. On the negative side, his
"anti-labor" policies and perceived untrustworthinesss have lost him
public support, but a summit meeting next month with North Korean
leader Kim Jong Il (see below) suggests his so-called sunshine policy
may be paying off.
Korea
News Service/AP
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5
Kim Jong II
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE WORKERS' PARTY OF KOREA
BORN Feb. 16, 1942, in a "secret camp" in Mt. Paektu
EDUCATION Kim Il Sung University, Pyongyang
FAMILY Married with three daughters and a son
POWER POINTS Is the hermit leader developing a fondness for
international friends? Kim has established diplomatic ties with Italy
and Australia and may visit Beijing later this year. Talks are also
going on with Japan and the Philippines, and the Americans are warming
to him (again). Most important of all, though, is a historic summit
next month in Pyongyang with South Korea's Kim Dae Jung. If that takes
place and goes well, tension on the Korean peninsula and in North
Asia could ease significantly. North Korea's economy remains shattered,
however, and Kim's poor human-rights record works against him in the
West.
RANKINGS 1-5
| 6-10 | 11-15
| 16-20 | 21-25
| 26-30 | 31-35
| 36-40 | 41-45
| 46-50 | next
>>
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