https://www.scmp.com/rss/503089/feed Ian Inkster, PhD, is professorial research associate at the Centre of Taiwan Studies, SOAS, University of London, and a senior fellow at the Taiwan Studies Programme, China Policy Institute, University of Nottingham. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Many in the Western media have spent the last fortnight or so covering in detail the civil disobedience across China arising from the government’s persistence with “dynamic zero Covid” as the main plank of its pandemic policy regime. Here, we focus on the opposite – the impact of more than two years of civil obedience across very difficult times in China and of the possible global threat of undue loosening of a policy regime that is unhappily strict and silent. Although some see the dilemma as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201819/its-grip-covid-control-china-has-done-well-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3201819/its-grip-covid-control-china-has-done-well-world?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:15:07 +0000 On October 18, Hong Kong marked the 1,000th day of its fight against Covid-19. How has it fared? What has become increasingly clear across the world since the outset of pandemic is that national policy is seldom the prime factor in determining Covid-19 levels. Income per head and consequent age distributions are of particular statistical significance. Generally, rich nations have had far more cases of Covid-19 than other countries. Europe and the United States represent about 15 per cent of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3196355/why-fall-public-trust-not-obesity-or-pollution-drove-hong-kongs-surge-covid-19-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3196355/why-fall-public-trust-not-obesity-or-pollution-drove-hong-kongs-surge-covid-19-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:15:08 +0000 The global spread of Covid-19 has been much altered by effective vaccines and the emergence of milder, less dangerous variants of the coronavirus. Even without vaccination, new Covid-19 outbreaks are far less likely to kill at this phase of the pandemic. But differences remain, particularly between rich and poor nations, and between the East and the West. Looking at the top 12 nations with the most Covid-19 cases so far – namely and in order, the United States, India, France, Brazil, Germany,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3195597/why-east-asia-has-edge-keeping-worst-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3195597/why-east-asia-has-edge-keeping-worst-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:30:11 +0000 The highly differential impact of Covid-19 vaccination is clearly visible in global statistics. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Asia has accounted for around a third of the world’s total caseload. This relatively good result is mainly a function of contrasting age distribution – less-developed nations tend to have fewer old people and more young people in their populations. Given the proclivities of all varieties of the virus, this has given Asia some protection. There is a worrisome trend... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3146189/how-china-can-reshape-global-aid-and-boost-poor-countries-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3146189/how-china-can-reshape-global-aid-and-boost-poor-countries-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Aug 2021 19:30:26 +0000 The news of vaccines spreading across China and elsewhere, especially into poorer nations, is highly reassuring. And for some time now, I have been advocating that East Asia – as a whole – might act as a vanguard of vaccine innovation and delivery at a global level. The superiority of East Asian nations in handling the Covid-19 invasion not only demonstrated their expertise, but also indicated that as a group they should recover economically soonest, especially in inter-regional trade and in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3129484/east-asia-uniquely-placed-become-world-leader-vaccine-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3129484/east-asia-uniquely-placed-become-world-leader-vaccine-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Apr 2021 20:30:14 +0000 Now that Sinovac Biotech’s vaccine has proven effective, passing late-stage trials in Brazil, with more than 300 million doses sold to middle-income and poor nations, China should switch instead to organising a free global vaccine project, government-aided and funded for all the nations that need it. I suggest that China’s project should promise free vaccines and vaccinations, with no ancillary transport or transaction costs, to all nations where income per head (in United Nations’ normal... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117451/why-china-led-free-vaccine-project-poor-countries-excellent-idea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3117451/why-china-led-free-vaccine-project-poor-countries-excellent-idea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:30:15 +0000 There is a discernible difference between how the East and West have managed the invasion of Covid-19. The relative anarchy of the West is visible at all levels. Social distancing rules are being broken in shops, parks and at tourist sites. In Britain, around 1 million small businesses might go under in weeks if the government’s emergency loan scheme cannot deliver funding (because the banking system seems loathe to actually release funds cheaply and quickly). Britain is now an example to be... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3079176/battle-against-coronavirus-east-asian-societies-and-cultures-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3079176/battle-against-coronavirus-east-asian-societies-and-cultures-have?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2020 17:00:07 +0000 Most of the time, China is seen in capitalist economies as a danger because of specific issues of ideology, defence, fears stemming from the US-China conflict and so on. But underlying even this is a fear of the supposed substance of the Chinese political economy – growing unduly fast, communist, militant and threatening, dampening of initiative, rejecting of progressive culture, yielding growth without either welfare or virtue.  Yet, most people in the West would argue that the major goals of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3044265/rising-china-will-not-become-global-aggressor-it-has-too-much-lose?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3044265/rising-china-will-not-become-global-aggressor-it-has-too-much-lose?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Jan 2020 03:00:10 +0000 There have been signs of a new democratic maturity in Taiwan, particularly since 2014 – the electorate has been more welcoming of off-centre independent politicians, the traditional dualistic political positions of the two main parties have been questioned, and there have been clear signs of a public rejection of the predominant “Chinese fear” rhetoric on cross-strait issues. Presently, however, mere weeks away from the Taiwanese presidential election, a barrage of confused information and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3041757/hong-kongs-hopes-and-fears-are-not-taiwans-and-its-protests-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3041757/hong-kongs-hopes-and-fears-are-not-taiwans-and-its-protests-are?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2019 01:30:11 +0000