What's so special about Asian tropical forests?

Tropical forests developed in isolation in five main areas during the Tertiary: Asia, New Guinea, Africa, Madagascar and the Neotropics. Asian forests share taxa with New Guinea and Africa, but there are also unique features. Most emphasis has been on the dominance of lowland moist forests by the Dipterocarpaceae, but the importance of the Fagaceae in lowland forests is also unique. Among the vertebrates, gibbons, tree shrews, forest rhinoceroses and lowland bears are unique to Asia, as is the diversity of squirrels, babblers and gliding vertebrates. Honeybees are shared with Africa, but only Asian forests support several coexisting species.