Asia is moving in the same direction as the rest of the world in allowing greater freedom to access the internet as governments across the region are realising it's futile and not in its interest to restrict the free flow of information.

"Political leaders are recognising regulation becomes less effective over time as one can't control the flow of information," says Jimmy Wales, the founder of the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

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"Young people now know how to get around firewalls. So I think governments everywhere, including China, are beginning to get it that you can't block websites and it can be problematic if you try to do so."

Mr Wales a self-described "advocate of freedom of speech" adds he is optimistic about the latest developments in China underlining the government's recent decision to unblock a number of websites such as the BBC and Wikipedia in the run up to the Olympics.

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"China is opening up strongly. It is still authoritarian but not communistic any more. And I believe the lifting of the web controls will continue even after the Olympics; it's part of a longer-term trend."

In Singapore attending a global brand forum recently, Mr Wales said that while the usage rate of Wkipedia in the mainland is still relatively low compared with other Asian countries, it can grow considerably over the years as more people start using it with the lifting of the restriction.

"In terms of local languages, the Chinese perspective is still largely missing in Wikipedia. This is in contrast to India , where there is exciting growth of local languages due to growing contributions by young internet users," he points out.

"If China allows for more contribution by web users, I believe the mistrust surrounding the country will dissolve and help in building a better understanding of it."

His vision is to ensure the online encyclopedia is in as many languages as possible. The articles are written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and nearly all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to its website. According to the latest estimates Wikipedia, launched in 2001, has about 260m users worldwide.

Mr Wales is confident Asia will continue to embrace the growing trend towards web-based communities and hosted services, such as social networking sites, video sharing sites and blogs.

"There is more participation now and it's no longer just the domain of geeks any more. The internet is affecting all levels of society, and in Asia as a whole you see these web-based communities rising such as Facebook becoming popular."

While the signs are encouraging, the region is still at an early age when it comes to innovations showcasing web ingenuity.

Looking broadly Mr Wales feels India shows the greatest promise as it has a growing entrepreneurial culture, which allows for creative exploration of ideas.

"It has the intellectual capital to be a knowledge based society in the world. There are new innovative websites coming up with young people excited about the internet. But the innovation is still coming from small developers and not happening on a larger scale."

India has the potential to be a silicon valley of the east, given its large pool of skilled talent, but there is little breakthrough on the web experimentation front due largely to government inefficiencies.

"Things are moving too slowly and a lot of old bureaucratic practices within the government are holding things back," says Mr Wales. "This is stifling creativity because the environment isn't conducive for experimentation to flourish."

He adds that India 's policymakers recognise the need to streamline its bureaucracy to bring about change, but a lack of strong leadership is blocking any real progress in the direction.

"If you have an environment where politics interferes and doesn't encourage creativity, where is there room for innovation to thrive? Nothing amazing will come out. In India there's a lot of vested interest blocking things from happening."