THE Washington-based World Bank will today launch its semiannual assessment of the Asia-Pacific’s economic performance, it said in an announcement, which will focus on the effect that China has had in promoting recovery in the region. The report will note, however, that Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand are all tipped to see GDP contract this year. The World Bank in April predicted the Kingdom would see the largest reversal in economic output in the whole region between 2007 and 2009 at 11.2 percent, predicting a 1 percent contraction in GDP for this year.