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With COVID-19 case numbers once again rising, and a sluggish vaccine rollout hampering efforts to contain the virus, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is under intense pressure to deliver a COVID-safe Olympics, writes Craig Mark.
The Philippines’ battle against the COVID-19 pandemic is plagued by supply and demand-side problems, writes Malcolm Cook.
The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) has launched its Regional Security Outlook for 2021. Editor, Prof. Ron Huisken, kicks off the series with an assessment of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on regional security.
The Australian Government has unexpectedly announced that Australia will make a $ 1.5 billion COVID-related support loan to Indonesia. Australia’s assistance program to Indonesia has lagged somewhat in recent years. Indeed, the fall in support to Indonesia had begun to attract comment. But in one stroke, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s announcement late last week significantly strengthened Australia’s economic diplomacy in Southeast Asia, writes Peter McCawley.
Asia is home to many exemplars of small but effective government, countries where sound policies and strong institutions underpin economic stability and robust growth. But, as former Chief Economist at the Asian Development Bank Lee Jong-Wha writes, during the COVID-19 crisis, many are pursuing expansive macroeconomic interventions and implementing measures that infringe on privacy. They are perched on the edge of a slippery slope.