Time Magazine just came out with their annual list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World. In that list, there are the usual politicians, celebrities, and religious leaders, but also a notable number of humanitarians and activists. Of particular interest to Asians and Asian Americans are nine Asians on the list:

Ang Lee (World renowned movie director)
Ma Jun (Chinese environmentalist)
Wen Jiabao (Premier of China)
Jigme Singye Wangchuk (King of Bhutan)
Pervez Musharraf (President of Pakistan)
Junichiro Koizumi (Prime Minister of Japan)
Michelle Wie (Korean American golfer)
Chen Guangcheng (Chinese law activist)
Mukhtaran Bibi (Pakistani women’s rights activist)
Vikram Akula (Indian entrepreneur and humanitarian)
Huang Guangyu (Chinese electronics entrepreneur)

Considering that Asians make up about two-fifths of the world’s population, 11 out of 100 spots doesn’t seem to be that great. However, I give Time credit for including a large number of activists and humanitarians on the list, rather than packing their list with celebrities. But it would have been nice if at least one Asian American made the list . . .