COVID-19 Updates

This article was first published on 2nd August 2023 on SCMP.  

The World Health Organization has just declared an end to the COVID-19 emergency after three years and 20 million deaths. Even before this, most countries have eased restrictions and international travel has resumed. The region’s largest economies, China and Japan, changed their cautious COVID-19 policies…

The new year began with any number of political factors that can impact business. But perhaps the most immediate is China, exiting from its Zero Covid policy. Many had urged this change.

Like its Great Wall, China’s Zero Covid policy attracted attention with its dimensions. Border controls and travel restrictions lasted more than 1000 days — longer than any other major country. Extraordinary lengths were taken to strictly police the policy, closely associated with President Xi Jin Ping personally.

The suddenness and completeness of the decision to end Zero Covid therefore surprised. As the volte face change followed wave of citizen protests, soon after President Xi was installed for a record third term, speculation swirls about its implications on governance.

Beyond the health impacts of COVID-19, the pandemic has disrupted trade and investment, accelerated the push towards digital transformation, and highlighted the urgent need for climate action. At the same time, the pandemic has also exposed gaps in cross-border cooperation and the limits of global institutions. As we build back from the crisis, how can Western economies work together with Asia to reconnect business linkages, adopt new technologies, and ensure a more sustainable future?

Watch the full webinar and hear from Her Excellency Iwona Piórko, Ambassador of the European Union in Singapore, and Her Excellency Kara Owen, British High Commissioner UK in Singapore, as they share their insights at the SIIA’s Year Opener, “Can the EU and the UK Lead with Asia?” held Thursday, 20 January 2022, 1045am to 1145am (SGT).

The key to transit from pandemic to endemic is vaccination programmes across the globe. The steady progress of vaccination rollouts brings ASEAN nations closer to reopening their country’s borders and reconnecting with the world. While a full recovery may take longer than expected, it is…

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