Nawaz Sharif

33

PRIME MINISTER, PAKISTAN
BORN Dec. 25, 1949 in Lahore, Pakistan
EDUCATION Punjab University, Pakistan
HOBBIES Cricket , driving cars, especially Mercedes limousines
FAMILY Married; two sons, two daughters
E-MAIL primeminister@pak.gov.pk
POWER POINTS Sharif has all but demolished his opponents and neutralized the military. He appeased radical Islamic groups and made clever use of foreign policy (and nuclear bombs) to increase his domestic strength. He and his Indian counterpart signed a historic treaty of friendship and cooperation.

Lucio Tan

34

CIGARETTE, BEER AND AIRLINE TYCOON, PHILIPPINES
BORN July 17, 1934 in Fujian, China
EDUCATION Far Eastern University, Philippines
FAMILY Married; several children, including four sons
POWER POINTS He serves as an unofficial economic adviser to the president. A court dismissed the $670 million tax case filed against him by the previous administration. Estrada is trying to help Tan revive Philippine Airlines, which has debts of $2.2 billion. But creditors want Tan to step down as CEO (he owns 70% of PAL). On May 17, the government gave him a week to put up $200 million and bring in new management.

Amien Rais

35

LEADER, NATIONAL MANDATE PARTY, INDONESIA
BORN April 26, 1944, in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia
EDUCATION University of Gadjah Mada, Jogjakarta; University of Chicago. Speaks English and Arabic
HOBBIES Reading, listening to Richard Clayderman music, watching boxing on television
FAMILY Married; three sons, two daughters
POWER POINTS One of Indonesia's leading opposition figures, Rais is trying to re-create himself as a secular nationalist by abandoning his aggressively Muslim, anti-Chinese, anti-Christian stance. He now promises to protect all minorities. His party (PAN by its Indonesian initials) is a shaky alliance between secular urban intellectuals and Muslims linked to the 28-million-member Muhammadiyah organization, which he used to head. Grassroots support for Rais is expected to come from his former Muhammadiyah followers, but many of them may opt for other Islamic parties if PANis perceived as too secular.

Hu Jintao

36

VICE PRESIDENT, CHINA
BORN Dec. 1942, in Jixi county, Anhui province, China
EDUCATION Tsinghua University, Beijing
FAMILY Married; one son, one daughter
POWER POINTS Appointed vice president in March 1998; member of the Politburo Standing Committee since 1992. Has been traveling abroad more and meeting with foreign dignitaries as part of a grooming process to succeed Jiang Zemin. Acted as the frontman for the government in publicly expressing support for the recent anti-NATO demonstrations.

Li Peng

37

CHAIRMAN, NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS, CHINA
BORN Oct. 20, 1928, in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China
EDUCATION Yan'an Institute of Natural Sciences and Zhangjiakou School of Industry, China; Moscow Power Institute
FAMILY Married; two sons, one daughter
QUOTE "Supervision should be strengthened on... problems which attract the loudest complaints from the general public."
POWER POINTS Still unpopular for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. His pet project, the Three Gorges Dam, remains mired in controversy. But the NATO strikes have strengthened his position, and he presided over the state memorial services for the three Chinese victims.

Eugenio Lopez Jr.

38

PRESIDENT AND CEO, BENPRES HOLDINGS CORP.
BORN Nov. 4, 1928, in Manila, Philippines
EDUCATION Virginia Military Institute; Harvard University
FAMILY Married; seven children
QUOTE "Profit with honor."
POWER POINTS Warded off hostile takeover attempts on flagship Meralco late last year. The coming wedding in September of his nephew Manuel to Jackie Estrada, daughter of the president, will provide him with the high-level connections necessary for doing business in both good times and bad.

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