Economic growth in reform-shy south Asia is expected to surpass that of the Tiger economies of east Asia this year as export-orientated countries reel from the global economic downturn, a top official at the United Nations Development Programme told the Financial Times.

Ajay Chhibber, the head of the UNDP in Asia Pacific and a former World Bank senior economist, said that growth in the east Asia region would be dragged down by the poor performance of countries like Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. He warned that many of the so-called group of Asian Tiger economies could no longer pursue the export-led growth strategies of the past, and continue to prosper.