Although Asia was in the midst of an economic rebound, driven by robust domestic demand, the investment outlook in the region remained weak, said Murillo Portugal, a first deputy managing direction of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In remarks on Tuesday, Portugal told an audience of Australian economists that some Asian countries, such as Korea, India and Indonesia would see a resurgence in private investment. "In Korea, this reflects a fast return to high levels of capacity utilisation