Asian Crisis The crisis began in Thailand in July 1997 and spread to Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, then to Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Financial systems in Thailand, Korea and Japan all came under intense strain, but nowhere as destructively as in Indonesia, which by early 1998 had become the worst-affected victim. The 1997 Asian financial meltdown began in Thailand on July 2 after the collapse in late June of 16 finance companies alerted investors to the strains on …showed first 75 words of 315 total…

…showed last 75 words of 315 total…background was a deeper concern, that financial strife in Hong Kong could have profound effects on China. China had been the darling of Western investors for several years, and huge projects will be under threat if the Chinese economy strikes trouble. China is partially insulated from the turmoil because its own financial markets are rigidly controlled. But its banks are similarly overburdened with debt and its exports at risk from a worldwide slowdown in demand.