How is pandemic affecting Asia?
It is said threemonths of going to the gym is enough to form a permanent habit. Similarly, with New Zealand having spent nearly three months in lockdown, many of us thought habits formed over the period would be hard to break.
But, much like a failed gym promise, many of us have returned to our old routines and the lockdown feels a distant memory. We have resumed meetings and conferences, can pop into the supermarket whenever we like, and catch up with our friends over coffee or drinks.
Movies are back in the mix, as are traffic jams. This is not to minimise the real effect the closure of borders and the economic downturn is having on many New Zealanders, much of which is currently unseen.
As we enter the pre-election period, domestic issues occupy the New Zealand media – topics such as the effectiveness of quarantining returning New Zealanders or when we can holiday on awarm Pacific island.
Amid this comfortable ‘‘normality’’ here it can be easy to forget that basic health concerns continue to be top of mind for billions of people around the world. I thought it might be useful to give a snapshot of what is happening in Asia, on the basis that ‘‘knowing your customer’’ remains a key tenet for business.
Moreover, in 2020, Asia represents home – in the historic or contemporary sense – for thousands of New Zealanders.
First to India, where the rate of
new infections is staggering – about 19,000 new cases reported a day last week. Given India’s population of nearly 1.4 billion and the difficulties its poorest people face when it comes to accessing healthcare, there is no doubt this is a fraction of the true number of cases. India has a tough road ahead. India’s health minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, recently became chair of the WHO’S executive board (succeeding Japan) and will play a key role in the global response to the pandemic.
Whatever medical interventions are ultimately found for Covid-19, India will likely be an important part of production as one of the world’s centres of generic pharmaceuticals – including many of the medicines we use here in New Zealand. (As an aside, Indian media last week covered MP Rahul Gandhi having a Zoom catch-up with India-origin nurses in Britain, Australia and New Zealand – highlighting the contributions India’s diaspora communities make around the world.)
Just as Covid-19 plays into politics in New Zealand and in the United States, so it does in Asian countries. In Indonesia, which is still seeing a surge in cases, President Joko Widodo has threatened a cabinet reshuffle if his ministers fail to take the pandemic seriously enough.
Singapore has an election scheduled this week – the first in Southeast Asia since the pandemic. The ruling People’s Action Party is looking to secure its 15th consecutive term in government but Prime Minister Lee Hsien-loong has acknowledged it may be tougher because of the economic pain caused by the pandemic.
The Philippines continues to experience significant community transmission, and President Rodrigo Duterte has once again extended a quarantine in Metro Manila. The Philippines also tracks Covid cases of Filipinos abroad, with nearly 9000 known to have been infected so far. Remittances from the country’s overseas foreign workers are an important part of the Philippines economy, and hundreds of thousands are affected by redundancies and pay cuts caused by the pandemic.
In many countries across Asia, citizens are subject to a range of measures, including restrictions on gatherings, tracking tools and documentation requirements, or compulsory mask-wearing in public spaces.
In some places, though, restrictions are being eased slightly. Thailand is now allowing a limited number of foreign visitors into the country on a controlled basis.
And countries doing comparatively well on the health front – the likes of South Korea and Japan – are battling challenges such as slumps in manufacturing production created by diminished world demand.
For Japan, developing a vaccine ahead of the 2021 Olympics is seen as a national priority. Its first clinical tests on humans for a potential vaccine started last week.
All in all, countries across Asia are grapplingwith a range of challenges and responding in a variety of ways, weighing up the best responses as dictated by their geographies, economies, politics and cultures.
New Zealand businesspeople engaging with the regionwill need to keep a close eye on the developments and be sensitive to what is top of mind for their Asian counterparts. On-the-ground intel from partners who are experiencing challenges in different ways can provide vital commercial insights.
Butwe must also individually look beyond our inward New Zealand focus. If we don’t, there is a real risk that in our relatively safe environment, we could underestimate the risks, resulting in inaccurate assessments and being tone-deaf to the many customers, and indeed New Zealand staff, who call Asia home.