You don't have to believe in the Asian Century or any other form of that nonsense to admit that Western understanding of Asia is woefully inadequate. The intellectual imperialism of the 20th century is as pernicious as the economic and political imperialism that preceded it. The conventional wisdom has Europe discovering Asia -- the Far East, as a decidedly Eurocentric map would frame the world. That conveniently overlooks the centuries of contact initiated by Asian traders who worked their way west in search of new markets and products. It ignores millennia of civilizations that rose and fell, the culture, traditions and glories they created and destroyed.
Calling those omissions an oversight is like calling murder a mistake: It just doesn't sound right.
Remedying the problem is not as easy as it might sound. First, there is that most basic issue: What is Asia? What countries does it include, what are its borders? It's easy to declare the Pacific its eastern limit, but how far does it stretch to the West? Where does South Asia shade into the Middle East, where does Central Asia become Russia?
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