SARAH SHARPE WRITES – The race to create the first coronavirus vaccine has begun. Both the United States and China have allocated billions of dollars to vaccine production in an attempt to “fast-track” the process. For China, this could bring international redemption and legitimacy. Already, over half of the human…
Category: Coronavirus
CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: THE ARC OF A HISTORIC CRISIS
CHARLES E MORRISON WRITES — About two turbulent months ago, former Vice President Joe Biden had established a commanding lead in the Democratic nomination campaign, although his two more liberal competitors had not yet ended their efforts; and the looming coronavirus pandemic was threatening to fundamentally transform the political landscape. And…
UYGHUR CRY: SERIOUSLY INHUMANE
SARA ALTUWAIJIRI WRITES — The sad saga of the Uyghur controversy proceeds apace. The Chinese government has one million Uyghurs detained in re-education camps, some of whom have been utilized for organ harvesting to treat patients who have the coronavirus. Uyghurs have been sent to industrial factories in Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangzi…
CHINA-US RELATIONS: THE MADNESS OF THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP
THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS COLUMN BY TOM PLATE WAS PUBLISHED EARLIER THIS WEEK BY THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST – No time to be polite: the most disgraceful and unnecessary deterioration amid the global health and economic crisis is the China-U.S. relationship that continues to sour. Casualties from a…
INDONESIA AND COVID-19: A YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY?
STUART MULJADI WRITES — Ever since Trump publicly announced to the world back in March that COVID-19 will vanish by April due to “warmer weather,” researchers, data analysts and ‘self- proclaimed’ experts have been trying to answer the question: Does warmer weather halt the spread and development of COVID-19? Weather…
CORONAVIRUS EXCEPTIONS: LIFE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC PARADISE
SEAN SINGH WRITES – Due to popularity among tourists, it appears that coronavirus spread more quickly to French Polynesia than to other islands of the South Pacific, where it looks to be well contained. Paradise uninterrupted! For example, Tonga has a population of approximately 100,000 and is less developed compared…
RUSSIA UNDER COVID-19: FROM MOSCOW BUT NOT WITH LOVE
‘VICTOR B’ WRITES — How do clashes in Russia, between police and the public, look right now, when most other nations are struggling to maintain safe and healthy environments? Not good. Orwellian, in fact? The Russian government now requires issuance of a ‘QR’ code to every citizen wanting to walk…
CORONAVIRUS COLLATERAL DAMAGE: THE LONELY CHINESE RESTAURANT
LILLY WEBER WRITES — With highly influential individuals like President Donald Trump referring to the coronavirus using the phrase the “Chinese Virus”, it’s not entirely surprising that Asian Americans are being negatively affected by such rhetoric. While the entirety of the restaurant industry has been hit hard by the shelter-in-orders…
CHINA VERSUS US: MAHBUBANI’S MARKER
TOM PLATE WRITES – On one hand, let me ask you: Would you be foolish enough to persist in advocating a balanced-sensible approach to the People’s Republic of China amid this murderous coronavirus-crisis for which so many blame the PRC? At a time when global suspicion and recrimination converge on Beijing/Wuhan…
TAIWAN: TSAI – HOW WE ARE BEATING COVID-19
TSAI ING-WEN WRITES – Taiwan is an island of resilience…. We have found ways to persevere through difficult times together as a nation, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different. Despite the virus’s highly infectious nature and our proximity to its source, we have prevented a major outbreak. As of…
VIETNAM: HELPING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
ANH NU DIEU TRUONG WRITES – In recent days, given the seriousness of COVID-19, the majority of Vietnamese students who had been studying overseas decided to go back home for a sense of safety and family. All must undergo 14 days of isolation before returning to normal life. Some, though,…
CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: CLEAN THE AIR, FLATTEN THE CURVE
ANNALISA DEL VECCHIO WRITES – Would it be right to describe the visibility of the Himalayas for the first time in thirty years as a good thing? Yes, in a way. The snow-covered peaks have been obscured by air pollution for decades, but the coronavirus pandemic has helped reduce pollution…
CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: MACHBOOS, ANYONE?
RASHID AL ARMELI WRITES – With Coronavirus, all the movies about an AI (Artificial Intelligence) virus taking over suddenly became real. Until the news struck, all I thought about was what I was planning to do the next day. Suddenly the building I live in sent out emails about changing cleaning supplies…
THE CRISIS: HOW TO FILL THE VACUUM OF GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
FROM THE WORLDPOST (https://www.berggruen.org/the-worldpost/) — This week, the Berggruen Institute worked with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who led the G20 response to the 2007-8 financial crisis, and other members of our 21st Century Council to gather the signatures of 165 prominent figures from around the world — including 92…
CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: A HEALTHY WAY TO DEFEAT YOUR PANDEMIC BLUES
JOANNE PANG WRITES — During these chaotic times of COVID-19 self-quarantine, people will turn to video games to beat boredom. Avid fans of Nintendo rush to their latest device, Nintendo Switch, which is a device that can hold a large number of games providing hours of entertainment. It has sold…
CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: SIX RULES FOR THE FUTURE
ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES — As America enters its worst coronavirus week, it is time to start reflecting on how we ended up on this perilous peak. Herewith, a possible to-do list for the future of the universe: 1. Stop blaming The general public seems to have settled on the theory…