Wuhan Virus Cross-Strait Ties Future of News
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Wuhan virus Cross-strait ties Future of news MCI(P) 087/05/2019 February 2020 INDEPENDENT • INSIDER • INSIGHTS ON ASIA Best New Print Product and Best News Brand in Asia-Pacic, International News Media Association (INMA) Global Media Awards 2019 ST writers look to the decade ahead, with their hopes, wishes and the challenges that they believe the world will face. WE BRING YOU SINGAPORE AND THE WORLD UP TO DATE IN THE KNOW News | Live blog | Mobile pushes Web specials | Newsletters | Microsites WhatsApp | SMS Special Features IN THE LOOP ON THE WATCH Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Videos | FB live | Live streams To subscribe to the free newsletters, go to str.sg/newsletters All newsletters connect you to stories on our straitstimes.com website. Data Digest Rise of women leaders Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s win has drawn world’s youngest serving prime minister when she attention to the growing number of women was sworn in on Dec 10. And earlier, in 2019, Sophie world leaders. Singapore boasts President Wilmes became the first woman Prime Minister of Halimah Yacob, while, in the Asia-Pacific, New Belgium while Zuzana Caputová took charge as the Zealand’s President Jacenda Ardern has been first female president of Slovakia. drawing attention to her leadership style since Here’s a look at women leaders using their the Christchurch bombings. positions to make a difference to their commu- Elsewhere, last year Sanna Marin became the nities in the political world. Katrin Jakobsdottir Zuzana Caputova Sanna Marin Prime Minister, Iceland President, Slovakia PrimeMinister, Finland Assumed office: 2017 Assumed office: 2019 Sworn-in Dec 10 Jakobsdottir wants to make Despite being a political The world’s youngest female head of Iceland a leader in climate action, newcomer with close to no government has been focusing on promoting with an ambitious plan to make the political experience, Caputova won gender equality in Finland. country carbon neutral by 2040 Slovakia’s elections last year with a campaign focusing on a struggle for justice. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic President, Croatia Mette Frederikson Assumed office: 2015 Prime Minister, Denmark Erna Solberg Currently running for a Assumed office: 2019 Prime Minister, presidential re-election Frederikson won elections Norway Kersti Kaljulaid this year, Ms by supporting tough Assumed office: 2013 President, Estonia Grabar-Kitarovic is a former restrictions on immigrants in Denmark. Ms Solberg won over a Assumed office: assistant secretary-general of Nato. re-election in 2017 by spending 2016 huge amounts of oil wealth to Kaljulaid is the first Sophie Wilmes support Norway’s economy after female president of she assumed office in 2013. Tsai Ing-wen Prime Minister, Belgium Estonia. President, Taiwan Assumed office: 2019 Assumed office: 2016 Belgium’s first female Re-elected President Tsai person to become the head Ing-wen is known for her of government, she replaced pro-independence rhetoric towards former Prime Minister Charles Taiwan’s relationship with mainland Michel after a coalition he China. headed collapsed. Halimah Yacob Angela Merkel President, Singapore Chancellor, Germany Assumed office: 2017 Assumed office: 2005 President Halimah Yacob is Singapore’s The politician has topped first female president after running for Forbes’ most powerful women presidency in the 2017 presidential list nine times and boosted elections. Germany’s economy, even despite the global financial crisis. Saara Kuugongelwa- Amadhila Jacinda Ardern Ana Brnabic Prime Minister, Namibia Prime Minister, New Zealand Prime Minister, Serbia Assumed office: 2015 Assumed office: 2017 Assumed office: 2017 After coming back from exile, Youngest leader of New Zealand Jacinda Brnabic is the first female and Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is the first woman Ardern almost single-handedly brought her first openly gay Prime Minister of to serve as Prime Minister of Namibia. Labour party to government after taking over traditionally conservative Serbia. its leadership. Sahle-Work Zewde Bidhya Devi Sheikh Hasina Wajed President, Ethiopia Bhandari Prime Minister, Bangladesh Assumed office: 2018 President, Nepal 1996 – 2001, Assumed office: 2009 Prior to her appointment as Assumed office: 2015 Sheikh Hasina is the longest serving prime Ethiopia’s first female president, Bhandari’s political career began minister in the history of Bangladesh. An ongoing Sahle-Work Zewde was the UN’s top official from a Leftist student union. struggle of Hasina has been establishing a firm at the African Union. democracy in Bangladesh. NOTE: Aung San Suu Kyi is Myanmar’s de facto leader but Source: AFP PHOTOS: AFP, ST PHOTO KHALID BABA TEXT: DOMINIQUE NELSON her ofcial role is that of State Counsellor (similar to Prime Minister) STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS 1 Warren Fernandez Editor-in-Chief, The Straits Times & SPH’s English, Malay and Tamil Media (EMTM) Group Sumiko Tan Executive Editor, The Straits Times Dominic Nathan Managing Editor, EMTM Tan Ooi Boon Senior Vice-President, EMTM Paul Jacob Associate Editor, The Straits Times Eugene Leow Head, Digital Strategy, EMTM Irene Ngoo Vice-President (Editorial Projects Unit) EMTM Jeremy Au Yong Foreign Editor Shefali Rekhi Asia News Network Editor, The Straits Times & Editor, ST Asia Report DESIGN Peter Williams Head, Visual, EMTM & Art Editor, The Straits Times Chng Choon Hiong Cover illustration 41 Marlone Rubio East Asia Executive Artist Time to rethink Gareth Chung Senior Executive Artist basis for cross-strait Anil Kumar engagement Graphic Artist EDITORIAL DESK ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA Ronald Kow Sub-editor, The Straits Times Dominique Nelson Journalist, The Straits Times Cover Story Trade Watch CIRCULATION Eric Ng Rediscovering our common US-China trade truce: Will it last? Head, Circulation Marketing 4 humanity in a divided world 14 Tommy Ong Senior Manager (Circulation) From the Asian dragon to the Tiger of the golf links REACH OUT TO US: For advertising enquiries: Special Report Mandy Wong Trade peace still a distance away Why the Wuhan virus may be Head - Customer Action Teams/Jobs 17 worse than Sars [email protected] Circulation & subscription: Sofia Wang Executive China Watch [email protected] China’s woes set to deepen 21 in 2020 WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK AND VIEWS Letters can be sent to [email protected] Singapore Published by The Straits Times, Singapore What the F-35B fighter jet deal Press Holdings (SPH) 24 says about Singapore’s defence purchase planning Printed by Times Printers Private Limited All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. 2 contents Country Report Goodbye, India. 35 Hello, Hindustan? PHOTO: REUTERS South-east Asia ST Anniversary For investors in Myanmar, it’s a ST turns 175! 28 slow road to riches 44 Special Report 1MDB scandal: Fugitive Jho 32 Low tells ST he was just an intermediary Future of News Country Report Finding our way forward to the 46 future of quality journalism Carlos Ghosn’s brazen 38 disappearing act leaves questions unanswered Lifestyle 50 Celeb offspring to watch Big Picture New Tokyo stadium all set 52 for the 2020 Olympics 3 ST ILLUSTRATIONS: MIEL Cover Story Rediscovering our common humanity in a divided world From climate change to smartphone addiction, fake news to WARREN the workplace revolution, ST writers lay out the new decade’s FERNANDEZ Editor-in-Chief challenges and their hopes and wishes THREE CHALLENGES Ordinarily, the re-emergence of China, shaking off at last the poverty and isolation of the past, 1. CHINA-US RIFT SPLITS WORLD should be something that everyone might celebrate. But alas, a deep ideological divide has emerged Decoupling – that icy, or perhaps worse, a – some would say, is being stoked – between China fiery, splitting up between two who are inherently [email protected] and the United States and those who share a belief inseparable, with all the nasty side effects that in the liberal global order that has given the world entails. This ugly word, I fear, could become the so much peace and prosperity since World War II. leitmotif of the decade just begun, writ large on That puts the two rival powers potentially at odds, the world stage. 4 ASIA REPORT February 2020 and fundamentally so. The sunny lands once pointed human. If we can learn to appreciate the joys of being, to by Sino-US leaders, of a more integrated world, treasure the humanity we share, find commonalities now look ever more distant indeed. in our hopes and dreams, perhaps the challenges It will take much wisdom all round to navigate this mentioned above might yet be surmountable. tricky transition, and avoid an unfortunate divide. The trouble is, wisdom seems to be in worryingly 2. THINK, READ... IN ORDER TO BE short supply at this time of rising populist pulls and What makes us human stems from our ability pressures. The signs of the decoupling everyone to think for ourselves, even if machines might do What makes us dreads appear to be taking hold. it more efficiently. What helps us to think is our readiness to read, to gather information and insights human stems 2. TOO HOT TO HANDLE for ourselves, even if algorithms might serve these from our ability A divided world will make tackling the growing up more readily. Yes, doing so will take more time, to think for climate crisis even more difficult. Countries which and effort – and perhaps not always yield as much ourselves, even should be working together to address this global immediate pleasure – but being ready, able and challenge will be too distracted by ideological, willing to exercise our minds makes us who we if machines geopolitical, economic and military considerations are, with the capacity to reflect, react and respond. might do it to put the longer-term needs of future generations Technology is making our lives more convenient. more efficiently.