The strength of a nation’s economy is not only measured in trade or reserves but also in what it builds: roads, schools, bridges, and water systems that sustain daily life.

These public assets form the backbone of communities, yet without sound management they deteriorate, draining budgets and eroding trust.

When managed well, they become engines of growth and resilience.

At the heart of this effort is public asset management, which works to ensure that infrastructure remains productive, resilient, and valuable throughout its life.

Effective public asset management systems help governments know what they own, plan maintenance, make transparent investment decisions, and strengthen fiscal discipline. This shift, from accounting to accountability, turns infrastructure into lasting value.

Across East Asia, governments are taking steps to embed asset management into their public investment systems. In the People’s Republic of China, urban transport projects in Shandong have shown how early planning and digital tools can make operations more efficient and environmentally sound.

End the build-and-neglect cycle that wastes public funds and weakens service delivery.

In Fujian Province, officials are integrating asset management into river basin projects to strengthen institutions, track assets across sectors, and base investment decisions on data rather than assumptions.

Mongolia is linking its national property registry with its public investment platform. The integration helps ensure that new projects are maintained and monitored as part of a wider financial management system, not treated as one-off expenditures.

These efforts share a common goal: to end the build-and-neglect cycle that wastes public funds and weakens service delivery.
When maintenance is built into budgets and institutions from the start, infrastructure continues to serve people long after construction ends.

The connection between finance and development is clear. Well-managed public assets extend the life of infrastructure, reduce costs, and improve services. They also promote public confidence by showing that resources are used responsibly and transparently.

East Asia’s sustainable future depends not only on building new infrastructure but also on protecting what already exists.
Managing public assets is managing development itself: linking fiscal discipline with real-world results. Every road repaired, bridge maintained, or water system upgraded strengthens the foundation for growth, stability, and opportunity.

This blog post is based on the November 2025 knowledge-sharing session, Managing Public Investments for Sustainable Development: Focus on East Asia, held by ADB’s Financial Management Division.