Will 2021 spell the end of coronavirus? Asia’s virus busters Travel bubbles

MCI(P) 053/04/2020 January 2021 ASIA’S 30 UNDER

Despite a dicult year, people have invariably stood out as bright spots. 30 go-getters and game-changers in Asia, with a gamut of achievements under their belt, are outshining their peers. WE BRING YOU AND THE WORLD

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To subscribe to the free newsletters, go to str.sg/newsletters All newsletters connect you to stories on our straitstimes.com website. Data Digest The business of vaccines

Vaccine development is usually an expensive, multi-year odyssey with a high risk of failure. But unprecedented demand and funding could boost returns for successful makers of Covid-19 candidates.

US drug development Development & approvals Costs stages Success rates Time Product development Only about 6-7% Covid-19 vaccines Pre-clinical of vaccine and are being developed US$319m to US$469m Discovery, non-vaccine drug at a drastically Estimated minimum cost of developing development, candidates that accelerated pace. vaccine candidate from pre-clinical to lab testing begin US clinical end-Phase 2a, including failed candidates. trials get past Leading Phase 3. All-drug Covid-19 Facilities & equipment average candidates US$50m to US$700m Estimated cost to build and maintain Phase 1 manufacturing capacity. Safety, dosage testing Facilities & equipment 20-100 Less than 25% healthy Of total manufacturing costs. volunteers, aficted 70% Overheads patients Up to 45% Of raw material and labour costs. Phase 2 Ef cacy, side Revenues effects testing Grants Several Up to hundred 33% 8 months US$12.5b aficted 81 months US$1.2b patients Covid-19 vaccine Covid-19 vaccine development funding investment contracts by US Advanced by Coalition for Research and Epidemic Preparedness Phase 3 Development Authority. Ef cacy, adverse Innovations. reaction testing Supply agreements 300 to 3,000 aficted- 25% Company Disclosed 2021 Covid-19 patient doses vaccine revenue volunteers (US$b estimate)

AstraZeneca 2.4b Unavailable Regulatory (+0.2b option) review Moderna 255m Approval allows (+516m option) 13.3 commercial sales 16 months P zer 570m (+600m option) 17.0

Phase 4 Safety, ef cacy A vaccine maker’s regulatory obligations Other factors testing are not over even after commercialisation. Long-term ef cacy Competition Vaccine manufacturers are required to and safety Several thousand continue monitoring and testing after aficted-patient they start selling their products. Scalability Pricing power volunteers

Sources: CEPI, DiMasi et al, Goldman Sachs, Gouglas et al, Milken Institute, Plotkin et al, Public Citizen, US FDA TEXT: Kenneth Lim BT INFOGRAPHICS

1 Warren Fernandez Editor-in-Chief, The Straits Times & SPH’s English, Malay and Tamil Media (EMTM) Group Shefali Rekhi Asian Insider Editor Peter Williams Production & Design Editor Eugene Leow AI Video Supervising Editor Dominic Nathan Managing Editor (EMTM)

ADVERTISING Maureen Wee Head of Advertising Sales [email protected] Helen Lee Head of Advertising, Product Development and Innovation [email protected] 12 Special Report

EDITORIAL DESK Complex operation Ronald Kow as countries start Sub-editor, The Straits Times gearing up for Dominique Nelson Covid-19 vaccine Journalist, The Straits Times rollout

DESIGN Marlone Rubio Executive Artist Anil Kumar Graphic Artist Gareth Chung Senior Executive Artist PHOTO: AFP

CIRCULATION Eric Ng Head, Circulation Marketing Cover Story Economic Affairs Tommy Ong Senior Manager (Circulation) Asia’s 30 under 30 The Covid-19 economic crisis 4 19 could morph REACH OUT TO US: Circulation & subscription: Louis Koh Special Report Senior Executive East Asia Watch [email protected] Will 2021 spell the end Challenges in ’s quest for 12 of coronavirus? 21 tech autonomy WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK AND VIEWS Indian government prepares Letters can be sent to to counter vaccine scepticism [email protected] Power Play Published by South-east Asia’s push to An iron fist in a velvet glove – The Straits Times, Singapore stockpile vaccines 23 the next chapter in Sino-US ties Press Holdings (SPH) Printed by China to vaccinate 50 million Times Printers Private Limited people in high-priority groups All rights reserved. No part Spotlight of this publication may be to start Covid-19 Asia’s virus busters reproduced in whole or in part without written vaccinations in February 25 6 heroes in fight to end Covid-19 permission from the publisher. pandemic

Singapore Watch No cakewalk for upcoming digital 29 banks in Singapore

2 contents

38 Special Feature WUHAN ONE YEAR ON A city of resilience, scars

PHOTO: REUTERS

Country Report Lunch with Sumiko Budget crisis ends, but Malaysia Singapore’s IP Man in Geneva 32 no closer to stability 43 Farmers protest a major challenge for Modi People in the news ’s new dynasty in the ’s new generation 46 making? political disruptors

Jokowi replaces 6 ministers to Letter from New Delhi help virus-hit Indonesia recover Briyani delivery in is 48 recipe for success South-east Asia Watch 37 Bangkok cleans up its act Life: Music Charming groups 50 in Chinese music Business Trends 40 Reviving travel through a bubble Big Picture Fire pots for winter in Singapore to pilot quarantine- 52 Kashmir free business travel

3 Cover Story ASIA’S 30 From scientists to ballet dancers, 30 go-getters are making waves in Asia. Some are big names, while others are striving to make their mark. But they share one thing in common ­– the drive to make lives better.

Adamas Belva Andy Tay Kah Ping, 30 Annabelle Kwok, 27 1 Syah Devara, 30 2 Scientist, Singapore 3 AI poster girl, Singapore Entrepreneur, Indonesia Helping children shape their future begins When he was seven, Assistant Professor By the age of 25, Ms Annabelle Kwok had with quality education – this was Mr Andy Tay was already asking questions two successful artificial intelligence (AI) Adamas Belva Syah Devara’s vision when such as “Why do tigers have stripes?” when companies under her belt. he co-founded Ruangguru, an online he visited the zoo. When his parents failed In 2016, she co-founded SmartCow, marketplace connecting private tutors with to give him the answers, the curious boy which makes industrial grade hardware students, while he was pursuing a master’s would look them up in encyclopaedias. for AI processing. degree at Harvard Kennedy School in 2014. He is now in the field of cancer research, She had started the company to sell Today, the education technology pursuing answers to chronic healthcare off excess components she had bought to company appeals to its users with animated problems like cancer and pain. build a processor board for herself while learning videos and visual aids, and is His research is motivated by his parents making robots. able to recognise a user’s weaknesses and – his mother is a breast cancer survivor, In 2017, she went on to found recommend suitable learning materials. while his father, who used to work as a NeuralBay. The start-up specialises in With a registry of 300,000 tutors, its construction worker and is now a taxi vision analytics, using AI to recognise Web and mobile platforms are now used driver, suffers from lower back pain. humans, objects and text. by millions of people in Indonesia. Hoping to create a real-world impact Ms Kwok, a mathematics graduate, Mr Belva’s knack for innovation was and one day help his loved ones and believes that AI should be accessible and recognised by Indonesian President Joko many other families, Prof Tay focuses on affordable to those who need it. Widodo, who appointed him a special developing nanomaterials to engineer She sold NeuralBay in January last year, adviser last year to help explore out-of- immune cells for treating cancer. and is now heading the regional AI, data and the-box ways to advance the country. An assistant professor at the National analytics team at Prudential, looking after 13 Mr Belva was given Harvard Kennedy University of Singapore, he was the only Asian markets, including China and India. School’s Digital Innovation Award this year Singaporean selected in the Class of 2020 Beyond AI, she has many interests: circus in recognition of his contributions to the World Economic Forum Young Scientists tricks, film-making, hardware hacking, community. for his cutting-edge research. mixed martial arts and windsurfing.

4 AsianInsider January 2021 PHOTOS: THE JAKARTA POST, NUS, HER WORLD UNDER 30

LEE CHOO KIONG CLARA CHONG Assistant Foreign Editor CLEMENT YONG

Carvey Ehren, 27 Faye Simanjuntak, 18 Grace Chia, 30 4 Student/inventor, 5 Human rights activist, 6 CEO and co-founder of Indonesia BeeX Autonomous Systems, Mr Carvey Ehren Maigue, who is from Many people shy away from the cruel Singapore Rizal, a Philippine province named after realities of child exploitation, sexual abuse BeeX builds the world’s most powerful national hero Jose Rizal, knew at age 13 and trafficking. underwater vehicles that pack superior that engineering was his calling. But not Ms Faye Simanjuntak, who co- “intellect” and physical propulsion into His science teacher had shown the class founded a non-governmental organisation a compact size. a movie with a scene depicting engineers with her mother for the protection of Its chief executive officer Grace at work, and said to him: “I hope some day vulnerable children when she was just 11. Chia believes engineering can make you will be someone like that.” Today, Rumah Faye, meaning “Faye’s underwater inspection work safer and The message stuck in his mind. In house”, runs community programmes more environmentally friendly. November, Mr Maigue took home the aimed at providing skills needed to protect BeeX uses marine robots to inspect James Dyson Award’s inaugural global children from trafficking, exploitation and port infrastructure, ship hulls, floating sustainability prize. His invention, the abuse. solar farms, and underwater foundations AuREUS system, uses a material derived It also operates a safe house in Batam of offshore oil and gas jackets and wind from rotting fruits and vegetables to absorb for survivors of human trafficking, and turbines. Divers hence do not have to be ultraviolet light from the sun and convert provides legal aid and financial assistance. put at risk for such work. it to electricity. Ms Simanjuntak said the safe house has The underwater craft allow autonomous surface vessels to recharge without Mr Maigue, who has had to put his assisted in the recovery of 109 girls and returning to port. Operators intervene studies on hold from time to time in the taken care of eight babies and children from shore only when necessary. past because of financial problems, told under age five between September 2016 Ms Chia’s work involves building The Straits Times that he hopes he can and last November. prototypes that are reliable and scalable. inspire others as “it is possible that the There are plans to build another one in BeeX was the first Singaporean team next inventor, designer, artist or leader 2024. Last year, Ms Simanjuntak has also to ever compete in a global autonomous could emerge from among them”. been recognised by Forbes Indonesia on marine robotics competition held annually its honour roll of under-30 Asians. in the United States.

PHOTOS: JAMES DYSON FOUNDATION, CHOCODAAWG/INSTAGRAM, JASON QUAH 5 Han Hyun-min, 19 Heidy Quah, 26 Janelle Lee, 27 7 Model, 8 Refugee rights activist, 9 Co-founder and chief product Malaysia officer of bantu, Singapore Nigerian-Korean Han Hyun-min is the first Ms Heidy Quah was just 18 when she co- Ms Janelle Lee is passionate about human Korean model of African descent to walk founded Refuge For The Refugees (RFTR), behaviour, technology and social good. the catwalk in South Korea. a non-profit group that helps refugees in An avid volunteer, she started social tech Born and raised in Seoul, he was often Malaysia. start-up bantu in 2018, with the goal of mistaken for a foreigner and shunned even This was following a brief teaching designing easy-to-use technology to help though he speaks only Korean. stint at a refugee school in non-profit groups in Singapore digitalise. He revealed that as a child, he wished Kuala Lumpur that opened her eyes to Till date, bantu’s cloud software has he was invisible as he struggled in school, the refugees’ plight. served hundreds of organisations ranging enduring bullying and prejudice owing to When she heard that the school would from social services to arts groups to family his skin colour. be closing because of a lack of funding, Ms service centres – including Samaritans But he found solace in fashion, taking Quah sprang into action. of Singapore and Thye Hua Kwan Moral part in modelling auditions and posting She and a fellow volunteer went door Charities. photos of himself on Instagram until he to door selling homemade cookies and In 2019, bantu won $50,000 as the was spotted by a modelling agency when appealed for help on social media. That Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year he was 14. experience set her on the path of social under the President’s Challenge for He once said in an interview that activism. leveraging technology to collate and being a model helped build his confidence Today, RFTR has evolved from a fund- analyse volunteer data – an innovation tremendously, and he hoped to become a raising project to supporting dozens of that has improved the engagement and role model for multiracial children. refugee schools, two halfway homes and retention of volunteers. In 2017, Time magazine picked him as a social business school in Malaysia and Ms Lee’s friends describe her as fearless, one of its 30 most influential teenagers. Myanmar. compassionate and dedicated. In 2017, Ms Quah received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth herself for her work.

Joey Alexander, 17 10 Musician, Indonesia

The Bali-born pianist was thrust into the presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. limelight in 2016 when he became the Joey, whose passion for music was youngest musician to be nominated for a nurtured by his piano-and-guitar-playing Grammy Award in the jazz category. father, told The Business Times in June Today, the prodigy, who taught himself that his family “always had music in the to play at the age of six, has recorded six house”. studio albums and notched up three He credits his parents for keeping him Grammy nominations. grounded, despite having achieved an He has shared the stage with jazz illustrious career at a young age. “And, well, greats such as Wynton Marsalis and Brad I still have homework to do,” he added in Mehldau, and performed for former US the interview.

6 AsianInsider January 2021 PHOTOS: THE KOREA HERALD, SOO JEN RIC, DESMOND FOO, MEREDITH TRUAX Juju Noda, 14 Kamal Singh, 20 Kim Na-young, 29 11 Racing driver, 12 Ballet dancer, India 13 Webtoon artist, South Korea

The daughter of former Formula One driver He was considered a late bloomer in the The former model, who goes by the Hideki Noda, Juju took up kart racing at ballet world, having started formal training pseudonym Yaongyi, is the author and the age of three and won her first race only at 17 – more than a decade behind artist behind the long-running webtoon in the beginner class the following year. most professional dancers. True Beauty, which boasts more than four In 2016, when she was 10, she erased But, in just three years, the son of billion views worldwide and is one of the the Okayama F4 lap record of 1min an electric rickshaw driver from Delhi most popular webtoons on search platform 33.769sec in a test session, clocking a was accepted by the prestigious English Naver. time of 1min 32.8sec. National Ballet School, making him one Published since 2018, True Beauty tells Juju continues to burn the rubber in of the first Indians to be admitted. the love story of a high school girl who Europe, where she took part as a rookie He had little in his pocket, but managed transforms herself into the school belle in the F4 Danish Championship for junior to crowdfund his way to the London school with her exceptional make-up skills, and drivers this year and won. with help from Argentine dance maestro a boy with a dark past. It looks like the teenager has put herself Fernando Aguilera. Kim, who is followed by 1.2 million on the right track to achieve her childhood Aguilera was amazed by Singh’s people on Instagram, revealed herself as dream of winning the Grand Prix. flexibility when the young man first the author of the webtoon one year after In an interview with Forbes in 2017, her turned up at his Imperial Fernando Ballet its debut, and fans were quick to point out father said she “has the ability to feel the Company, and took him under his wing. the physical resemblance between her and limits of her race car” and that is a talent Now based in London, Singh told The her female lead. that cannot be taught. “She was born with Straits Times that he is preparing for an The webtoon has captivated legions of it,” he added. audition that he hopes will be his ticket fans around the world, including in the to becoming a lead dancer. United States and France. Confidence, he said, is key to pursuing A drama adaptation of it was released one’s dreams, and “never think that others this month on South Korean prime-time are better than you”. television.

Ko Jin-young, 25 14 Golfer, South Korea

Currently the No.1 female golfer, Ko Jin- Open, all coming young is a six-time Ladies Professional Golf in 2019. Association (LPGA) tour winner. She was the The world champion started her career LPGA Rookie of the as a pro golfer when she was 18 in 2013 Year in 2018 and the Rolex Player of and has since won the LPGA of Korea Tour the Year in 2019. 10 times. After taking a break from the LPGA Her other major championship wins tour for almost a year because of the include the Dinah Shore (ANA Inspiration) global pandemic, Ko returned to action tournament, the Evian in France, the in the Pelican Women’s Championship Founders Cup and the Women’s Canadian last month.

PHOTOS: JUJU NODA/FACEBOOK, COURTESY OF KAMAL SINGH, KIM NA-YOUNG/INSTAGRAM, AFP 7 Lalu Muhammad Louise Emmanuelle Marylyn Tan, 27 15 Zohri, 20 16 Mabulo, 21 17 Writer, Singapore Sprinter, Indonesia Social Entrepreneur, Philippines Nicknamed “the fastest man in South- Ms Louise Emmanuelle Mabulo wears Marylyn Tan became the first female east Asia”, Lalu Muhammad Zohri is the many hats. She is an award-winning chef, winner of the Singapore Literature Prize first Indonesian to win a medal – and a entrepreneur, farmer, public speaker and for English poetry last year with her gold one at that – at the IAAF World U20 competitive archer. collection Gaze Back, which looks at the Championships, doing so at the Finland In 2019, she was recognised as an hidden violence perpetuated by the state edition in 2018. Outstanding Youth Ambassador at the and society against women. In the same year, he also won gold in United Nations Youth Assembly. The 27-year-old said she usually takes the 100m segment at the Asian Junior One of her most notable achievements accolades lightly, but her historic win, Athletics Championships in Japan, making is The Cacao Project, which she set up in sweeter for the nature of her entry, gives him a national hero. 2016 to help farmers in San Fernando in her hope that things could change. But the media frenzy over him was not the Philippines’ Bicol region to get back “It is important to have unpleasant just about his speed, but his sad childhood on their feet after their livelihoods were conversations that we feel we are not yet as well. He lost his parents while he was destroyed by Typhoon Nina. ready for. Singapore may not be equipped in elementary school. The project provides participants as a whole to deal with some issues, but Home to him and his three siblings was with cacao seedlings, which are climate- some among us will be,” she said. a small house made of wood and woven resilient and lucrative, and trains them to It helps her cause that her work is not bamboo, with newspapers covering holes farm responsibly and sustainably. More profit driven, and she says she is against in the walls. He could not even afford than 200 farmers have benefited from the triumph of a “commercial mentality”. running shoes and had to train barefoot. the project, which saw some 80,000 cacao She has been exploring more mediums Indonesian President , trees planted, along with short-term crops for her art, partnering the ArtScience who ordered the Lombok native’s house such as bok choy and okra. Museum to interpret her poetry in videos to be renovated, called him a “collective In 2019, Ms Mabulo received a Young that are available online. inspiration to the nation’s athletes to Champions of the Earth award from the achieve gold”. UN Environment Programme.

Nadia Samdin, 30 18 Politician, Singapore

Elected on the People’s Action Party slate She has also spoken up on the need for for Ang Mo Kio GRC headed by Prime more blue and green spaces. Minister Lee Hsien Loong in July, Ms “I’m no stranger to being in rooms Nadia Samdin is one of the youngest MPs where I am the minority in age, race and in Parliament. gender,” she said. A lawyer by training and a former Her desire to represent the voices of journalist, she has advocated for issues those who may be marginalised drives her such as early intervention for at-risk youth to speak up in Parliament. and modern loneliness, especially among Still, she asserted: “Age should not hold seniors, which has been made worse by anyone back. Young people are willing to the Covid-19 pandemic. be counted on.”

8 AsianInsider January 2021 PHOTOS: AFP, LOUISEMABULO.COM, KEVIN LIM , DESMOND FOO Naomi Osaka, 23 Nor Diana, 20 Okka Phyo Maung, 30 19 Tennis player, Japan 20 Wrestler, Malaysia 21 Social entrepreneur, Myanmar

This is probably one face that needs no Standing at 1.55m tall, Nor Diana may be Mr Okka Phyo Maung, who studied introduction. petite but she sure packs a punch. sustainable energy engineering in the As one of the world’s best tennis She became the first woman to win United States and attended business players, Naomi Osaka used her star power the Malaysia Pro Wrestling Wrestlecon school in Belgium, is an advocate of waste to rally support for the #BlackLivesMatter Championship in July 2019, after beating recycling and green business. movement at the US Open last year. four male wrestlers. In 2017, he co-founded RecyGlo, She sported seven different masks at Diana, who started taking wrestling Myanmar’s first recycle-tech company, her matches, each emblazoned with the lessons when she was 15, goes by the to help businesses safely process their name of a black victim of police brutality ring name Phoenix. She has been criticised waste materials, such as batteries and and racial injustice. for her tight costumes and close physical confidential documents. Osaka, who is of Japanese and Haitian contact with her male counterparts. But as It also provides data analytics on the descent, went on to win the tournament Malaysia’s first hijab-wearing professional amount of waste recycled and the impact and become a three-time Grand Slam wrestler, Diana is not apologetic about it. on companies’ carbon footprints. champion. She once said in an interview with The Last year, RecyGlo received the World When asked what point she was making Star: “After (news of me went) viral, many Economic Forum’s Action on Ocean Plastic with the masks, she said: “Well, what was people were surprised at a hijab-wearing Award and Mr Okka Phyo Maung was the message that you got was more the Muslim doing wrestling, but I do not want recognised by Forbes as an outstanding question. I feel, like, the point is to make them to overlook my talents. Asian under 30. people start talking.” “I want people to see my passion and His Yangon-based firm has now Time magazine has named her among love for wrestling. At the same time, I expanded beyond Myanmar, with offices the 100 most influential people last year. want them to acknowledge what hijabi in Singapore and Malaysia. girls can do.”

P. V. Sindhu, 25 22 Badminton player, India

P.V. Sindhu became the first Indian woman players in the world. to win a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics In 2019, she was the only Indian on the and a gold at the Badminton World Forbes list of highest-paid female athletes Federation (BWF) championships in 2019. in the world, coming in at 13th place with Born to former national volleyball total earnings of US$5.5 million (S$7.3 players, Sindhu started playing badminton million). when she was eight years old. When the Indian government imposed The shuttler was 17 when she smashed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread her way up the BWF rankings and captured of Covid-19 in March, Sindhu was one the world’s attention. She is currently of several athletes who raised funds for ranked among the 10 best women’s singles affected daily wage workers.

PHOTOS: REUTERS, BERNAMA, OKKA PHYO MAUNG/FACEBOOK, BEJJANKI HARISH 9 Pratima Sherpa, 21 Raeesah Khan, 27 Ray Chiu Po-Jui, 29 23 Golfer, Nepal 24 Politician, Singapore 25 Entrepreneur,

Pratima Sherpa aspires to become her Ms Raeesah Khan of the Workers’ Party While working on his master’s degree country’s first female professional golfer, made history last year by becoming in bioengineering and biomedical a dream that may be within her reach. Singapore’s youngest ever parliamentarian. engineering in California in 2014, Mr Born poor, she was raised in a storage At just 27, she has had a history Ray Chiu heard the news about a series shed on a golf course. She grew up watching of fighting for the rights of the of explosions caused by a gas leak back wealthy people playing their rounds at the disenfranchised. In 2016, she started home in Taiwan that killed 32 people. golf club where her parents worked, and the Reyna movement, which has helped The disaster set him mulling over started playing the sport herself when she to support Rohingya refugees in Kuala creating a cheap and accurate real-time was 11. Lumpur as well as female education in biosensor to detect and analyse air Her very first club was fashioned from Singapore. chemicals, with the aim of preventing a tree branch by her father. She faced a police probe into her similar tragedies from happening. She was quick to pick up the sport and Facebook posts earlier, but was successfully He co-founded BioInspira that year for soon went on to win her first tournament. elected as an MP of Sengkang GRC in the that purpose; the firm was rebranded as Gradually, she was filling her tiny shed general election. Calyx last year. It makes sensors using a with shiny trophies. “I think my proudest achievement is low-cost material based on a non-toxic The first-ranked amateur golfer is on being able to overcome the challenges that virus called bacteriophage. The highly a full scholarship at Santa Barbara City this year has thrown at me,” she said. accurate sensors can be deployed across College in California, where she continues “My aspiration for the future is that different industries. to practise golf. we see a country that allows everyone to Calyx has so far raised about US$5 She finished fourth at the California reach their full potential. million (S$6.6 million) in seed money from Community College State Championships All of us, regardless of age, want to see a venture capitalists in Asia and the United in 2019 and was named Athlete of the Year Singapore that progresses without leaving States. In 2019, Forbes put Mr Chiu on its by her college last year. anyone behind. 30 under 30 list in the energy category.

Ryu Ho-jeong, 28 26 Lawmaker, South Korea

Ms Ryu Ho-jeong is the youngest lawmaker wear whatever helps her to work best. in South Korea’s National Assembly and Dubbed “Samsung sniper” by the media, the only one under 30. Ms Ryu, during her debut at Parliament’s A champion of women’s rights and warrior annual inspection of state affairs in against sexism and inequality, the Justice October, singled out conglomerate Party lawmaker caused a stir in August when Samsung for allegedly seizing technologies she wore a short red wrap dress to work. developed by smaller firms. She drew frowns from her much older As the youngest lawmaker, Ms Ryu male colleagues, but won praise from reflects the voice of young people, women for daring to push boundaries. something that is said to be lacking in Brushing off criticism, she said she would South Korean politics.

10 AsianInsider January 2021 PHOTOS: TEAM PRATIMA/FACEBOOK, ONG WEE JIN, CALYX, RYU HO-JEONG/FACEBOOK Sheik Farhan Sheik Son Heung-min, 28 Syed Saddiq Syed 27 Alau’ddin, 23 28 Footballer, South Korea 29 Abdul Rahman, 28 Silat world champion, Singapore Former minister and Member With two-time silat world champion Sheik He is one of the hottest properties in of Parliament, Malaysia Alau’ddin as his father, Sheik Farhan Sheik football and currently the most expensive The then political novice was only 25 Alau’ddin has some grand shoes to fill. player in Asia. when he was appointed youth and He grew up watching his father’s Son Heung-min, who is both captain sports minister in 2018, making him the training sessions, going to the community of South Korea’s national football team youngest federal minister since Malaysia club in Jalan Besar as regularly as he went and a Tottenham Hotspur star player, was gained independence. to school, he said. named the English Premier League’s (EPL) One of Mr Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul These days, he spends all his free time – top player for October. Rahman’s significant achievements was sparse as it is as he is serving his national The highly rated footballer dropped out to successfully convince the Lower House service – training. of the FC Seoul U-18 team when he was 16 of Parliament in 2019 to lower the voting He has swept the gold medals in the and flew to Germany to join Hamburger age from 21 to 18, to give young people past few years at events like the SEA SV’s youth academy, where he spent six “the right and responsibility to choose the Games and Asian Games, and was crowned years before playing for Bayer Leverkusen. country’s future”. world champion in Bali in 2016. In 2015, he moved to Tottenham in Last September, Mr Syed Saddiq He says silat is just “something I have to London. established his own political party, Muda, do”. This year, with the coronavirus putting In 2019, Son, who is fluent in both which he said was to reboot and refresh a pause on most things, he has trained German and English, was named Best Malaysian politics. even more efficiently and feels better Footballer in Asia for the fourth time and He may not be a contender for the prepared than ever, he said. Premier League Player of the Year at the premiership at the next polls, but he He added that with desire, effort and London Football Awards. may not have to wait for long to be in the discipline – his three qualities for what He wrapped up 2019 by winning the reckoning if Malaysia follows the recent makes a good athlete – anyone can AFC Asian International Player of the Year trend of electing young leaders as seen succeed. award for the third time. in countries such as Ireland, Finland and France.

Wang Jianjiahe, 18 30 Swimmer, China

Born in China’s Liaoning province, Wang 800m, 1,500m and relay – in one of her Jianjiahe picked up swimming at age five in first major championships. 2007 and joined the provincial swimming Last September, the swimmer – who team five years later. In 2016, she was is 1.82m tall – set a new Asian record of selected to join the elite national team. 15min 45.59sec for the 1,500m freestyle In 2017, the rookie won the 800m at the Chinese National Swimming freestyle final at the Fina Swimming World Championships in Qingdao. Cup in Doha, smashing the junior world In 2019, she was one of the two youngest record with a time of 8min 15.35sec. At honourees on Forbes’ 30 under 30 China the Asian Games in Jakarta the following list, which presented the country’s most year, Wang bagged four golds – for 400m, accomplished young people.

PHOTOS: KEVIN LIM, REUTERS, TRINNA LEONG, AFP 11 Special Report Will 2021 spell the end of coronavirus? The arrival of vaccines by pharmaceutical companies spells hope for the region but much will depend on country efforts to secure enough for their people and the ability of governments to build trust on the issue.

An Indonesian Red Cross member in personal protective equipment Complex operation as countries start (PPE) spraying disinfectant inside a house after one of its dwellers was tested gearing up for Covid-19 vaccine rollout positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Jakarta on Oct 7. PHOTO: AFP THE YEAR STARTED OFF ON A GRIM NOTE, BUT a voluntary basis – meaning populations will have it looks like 2020 ended with some good news: the choice to opt for the jab or decide against it. Mass Covid-19 inoculations have started to take Leaders have offered to be among the first to get off, fuelling hopes that the pandemic can finally vaccinated to dispel any doubts about the safety of be reined in. the vaccines, with US Vice-President Mike Pence Several health regulators have cleared Pfizer/ receiving his on Dec 18, while President-elect Joe EILEEN NG BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, Biden was inoculated on Dec 21. while Moderna’s is on the cusp of gaining regulatory Most countries are making the vaccines free Regional approval and other experimental vaccines are for all residents, with priority given to front-line Correspondent inching closer to the finish line. personnel, healthcare workers, the elderly and other Countries from Austria to the United States are vulnerable people before the rest of the population. preparing to roll out the vaccines to ensure key However Indonesia, which received its first batch populations are inoculated as Covid-19 cases soared totalling 1.2 million doses from China’s Sinovac to nearly 80 million, with more than 1.7 million Biotech on Dec 6, is looking to first inoculate its deaths worldwide. young working population, aged from 18 to 59, from “I believe this is the weapon that will end the war,” early this year. said Mr Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York. Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said [email protected] the elderly, those with existing health issues and FREE JABS FOR ALL, pregnant women are not put into the country’s LEADERS SHOW THE WAY priority list for the vaccination programme because Countries and territories are rolling out mass it does not have the data to guarantee that the vaccination programmes as soon as their health vaccine will be safe for them. The Sinovac trial shots regulators give the green light. It will be done on were only tested on people aged between 18 and 59.

12 AsianInsider January 2021 Still, not every government is rushing to Logistical challenges will be confronting several inoculate its citizens. countries as they seek to ensure the vaccines reach Some are taking a wait-and-see approach, with the targeted people. regulators holding on for more safety data to become In Indonesia, experts such as epidemiology available. professor Pandu Riono from the University Of New Zealand, which has eliminated community Indonesia believe vaccinating just half of its transmission of the virus, will only begin vaccinating population of 268 million might take up to four its entire population in the second half of 2021, years. while inoculation will take place in neighbouring “The government thinks the vaccine is the Australia from March if the health authorities deem quick solution. But the vaccine itself doesn’t work it safe. if you don’t successfully deliver it to the people, South Korea said vaccination will probably not and (that is) a complex job,” he told the Financial take place until the second half of 2021 despite the Times, noting the country’s size and underdeveloped country currently experiencing its third and most transportation. severe wave of infections. In neighbouring Malaysia, where the government “The big question now is, how safe and effective has allocated RM3 billion (S$986 million) to acquire are the different vaccines?” asked Associate Professor enough doses to cover the immunisation needs of Siouxsie Wiles from Auckland University’s School about 60 to 70 per cent of the population, experts of Biological Sciences. “The scientific community have pointed out that the complex requirements are still waiting to see all of the data for how well of the Pfizer vaccine, such as super-cold storage, each vaccine prevents transmission of the Covid-19 will be an obstacle as minus 70 deg C freezers are virus as well as preventing severe disease.” not easily available. “For remote clinics in Sabah and Sarawak, this MAMMOTH EXERCISE, is going to be an even bigger challenge as getting CHALLENGES ABOUND The vaccination of tens of millions of people will be a mammoth exercise for many countries. Many will be roping in volunteers, readying trucks and cargo Covid-19 immunity: questions still unanswered planes, procuring ultra-cold storage refrigerators and conducting distribution dry-runs. How well does it work? And how long does it last? India’s experience in running the world’s biggest immunisation programme (it inoculates more than Reasons to be hopeful Tools of Reasons to be cautious 40 million babies and pregnant women against 12 Increasingly positive immunity Lack of data on longevity diseases every year) will stand it in good stead vaccine trial results of immunity as it prepares to roll out its Covid-19 vaccination B cells programme. Three hundred million people – mostly front- Encouraging studies Other common coronaviruses liners and those above 65 – are expected to receive on convalescent have shown to produce doses in the first phase lasting till July. plasma therapy T cells short-lived immunity The federal government is encouraging states to choose one vaccine per district to simplify what is Record of years-lasting No information about expected to be a huge undertaking. Indian media immune protection Immuno- effective quantities of also reported that health officials are looking at using against Sars and Mers, globulin G antibodies produced in polling booths and wedding halls as vaccination which were also natural response to an coronaviruses (IgG) infection centres. antibodies Some 29,000 existing cold storage facilities will be used to stock the vaccines. Officials told the BBC Emerging molecular Concerns about weak that 154,000 of the country’s 223,000 nurses and evidence of immune immune response to midwives will be deployed to give Covid vaccines response lasting at mild infections to people. It will be also inviting final-year nursing least six months Memory students to volunteer. B cells Britain, which on Dec 8 became the first Promising trial successes Probability that there are country to start inoculating people, has brought of Sars-CoV-2 antibodies many more reinfections in the military to help. Some sports stadiums reproduced as than the few that have and conference centres are being converted into monoclonal antibodies Memory been documented temporary vaccination centres. T cells Initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine that arrived from Rarity of documented The worry that the Belgium are being stored in secure locations across reinfections virus could mutate in the country, where they will be quality checked, the future the health ministry said, before being dispatched to vaccination hubs and then given to patients. Source: AFP STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS

13 the supplies to the clinics already takes quite a long His views are consistent with surveys indicating time, what more to store it for use afterwards,” mostly positive reactions and large numbers of Universiti Malaya epidemiologist Awang Bulgiba people who want to be immunised in various Awang Mahmud told The Star. countries. Science, Technology and Innovation Minister According to an Oct 8 – 13 Ipsos survey on Khairy Jamaluddin pointed out the country already more than 18,000 adults covering 15 countries, According to an has more than 125 ultra-cold freezers, mostly in its 73 per cent say they would get a Covid vaccine if it’s Oct 8 – 13 Ipsos public universities and research institutions. “If available. Research published by the journal Nature survey on more these freezers cannot be redeployed, we will make in October also noted that 71.5 per cent of 13,426 arrangements for the procurement of additional survey respondents in 19 countries reported that than 18,000 ultra-cold freezers,” he said. “they would be very or somewhat likely to take a adults covering In the US, there are already reports of some Covid-19 vaccine”. 15 countries, vaccines being replaced after being stored at overly However, there are still some who are hesitant 73 per cent say low temperatures. Reports of allergic reactions have to get inoculated, citing concerns about side effects also cropped up in the US and Britain. and vaccines moving through clinical trials too fast. they would get And then there are worries that organised crime “I will probably give it some time, probably until a Covid vaccine groups might target trucks containing vaccines for the end of 2021, to see the effectiveness of the if it’s available. theft and hijacking. vaccine before actually getting it. The virus may “It is the most valuable asset on earth right now,” mutate and there is no guarantee the vaccine Ms Lisa Forte, a former British counterintelligence will be effective (against the mutated virus),” said employee and a partner at cyber-security firm Red Ms Dymphna Lanjuran, 38, an artist-curator and Goat, told The New York Times. “Naturally, this gallerist in Malaysia. will attract highly skilled cyber criminals, criminal Vaccine hesitancy is something that experts groups and state actors.” have been trying to battle. The Ipsos survey noted that the number who intend to get vaccinated has TO TAKE OR NOT TO TAKE dropped by 4 per cent compared with a similar Spaniard Luis Sacristan, 42, told The Straits Times survey conducted in August. that he is looking forward to getting the vaccine. “People understandably are sceptical about the “I will take the vaccination because it offers speed, but we have to keep emphasising speed protection for my son. It’s like a shield from the means the science was extraordinary,” said Dr people closest to him to make sure he is safe,” said Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute the Madrid-based business development manager. of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

South-east Asia’s push to stockpile vaccines In the evolving race for Covid-19 vaccines, Indonesia took the apparent lead in South-east PHILIPPINES Asia with the delivery of vaccines from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. But Singapore became • The country wants to have at the first country in South-east Aisa to get the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine that has least 50 million vaccine shots received UK and US regulatory approvals. this year to inoculate about a Here’s how the region of more than 650 million people is dealing with differing fiscal, fourth of the population, the demographic and distribution challenges in their vaccine strategies. bulk of which will likely arrive by the end of 2021 or early 2022. INDONESIA • The nation is eyeing 73.2 billion • Indonesia is banking on both pesos (S$2.02 billion) in vaccine Western and Chinese vaccines, purchases that it plans to fund ordering 125.5 million doses from with financing from multilateral Sinovac and 30 million from agencies, state-owned banks Novavax Inc, while developing 57.6 and companies and bilateral million of its own Merah Putih sources • It received 1.2 million doses of • Vaccinations could start as the Sinovac vaccine earlier in early as the first quarter of December, with another 1.8 million 2021 using Sinovac and Russia’s shots arriving in January Sputnik V shots, according to • It’s seeking another 16 million vaccine czar Carlito Galvez from the global GAVI vaccine • The country will also receive 2.6 facility while talks are also on for million doses of AstraZeneca 100 million from AstraZeneca Plc vaccines as early as May Sinovac and Novavax are set to help deliver 155.5 million doses of purchased by local companies and Pfizer Inc for possible supply their Covid-19 vaccines to Indonesia. PHOTO: REUTERS

14 AsianInsider January 2021 Indian government prepares to counter vaccine scepticism

In the country with the DEBARSHI DASGUPTA most cases of coronavirus India Correspondent infections in Asia, small pockets of resistance against vaccinations have regained momentum

VOLUNTEERS AT THE YOUTH ONLINE LEARNING Organisation (Yolo) have been hard at work since [email protected] April busting misinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic. For around a fortnight, they have detected a surge in a new kind of misinformation in India – vaccine scepticism. “There is a bizarre conspiracy theory gaining ground that the vaccine will introduce something in your body that will control you,” said Mr Prem Prakash, the co-founder of Sarvahitey, which Health workers collecting personal data from a man during launched Yolo together with Social Media Matters, a door-to-door survey for the first shot of Covid-19 vaccine another non-government organisation. in India on Dec 14. PHOTO: REUTERS “The human brain needs an answer that is

VIETNAM SINGAPORE MALAYSIA THAILAND • is in talks with Pfizer and • The city-state has set aside • The country seeks to buy shots • Thailand wants to inoculate about other medicine manufacturers in roughly US$750 million (S$995 for 70 per cent of its population, 50 per cent of its population by the US, the UK, China and Russia milion) for vaccines, tapping the more than double the current 30 next year. on acquiring coronavirus shots, likes of Arcturus Therapeutics per cent coverage, Prime Minister • It plans to get 26 million Tuoi Tre newspaper reported Holdings Inc., Moderna Inc., Pfizer Muhyiddin Yassin said. doses from the World Health • The country is working on and Sinovac for supplies. • Pfizer will deliver to Malaysia one Organisation-backed Covax developing vaccines and will work • It estimates there will be enough million doses in the first quarter programme, 26 million from with suppliers when vaccines doses for its population by the of 2021, 1.7 million in the second, AstraZeneca, and 13 million more are available, according to a third quarter of 2021, and will be 5.8 million in the third and 4.3 from other sources, providing spokeswoman at the foreign able to offer vaccinations for the million in the final three months immunity to more than 30 million affairs ministry. entire population of more than 5 of the year, Mr Muhyiddin said in people. • Vietnam’s Nonogen million by the end of next year. late November. • Under agreement with Pharmaceutical Biotechnology • Arcturus and Singapore’s • It also plans to tap the Covax AstraZeneca, Siam Bioscience has started first-phase clinical Economic Development Board facility to provide vaccines for will produce vaccines at its trials of its coronavirus vaccine have also entered into a supply 10 per cent of the population facilities, and Thailand will Nanocovax, with production in agreement for the right to buy the while reaching out to 10 supply coronavirus vaccines at 2022 if tests are successful. ARCT-021 vaccine companies with vaccines that are “reasonable prices” to Myanmar, at phase-III clinical trials. Laos, and Vietnam • Malaysia conducted its first when it begins production. Vietnamese military medical Covid-19 vaccine phase-III trial officials giving a shot of the in December developed by the Covid-19 vaccine Nanocovax Institute of Medical Biology to a volunteer during the start of human trials at the Chinese Academy of Medical Military Medical University Sciences as part of a government- Information and data valid as of Dec 15, 2020. in Hanoi. PHOTO: AFP to-government agreement with China. SOURCE: BLOOMBERG

15 comforting. Making up this conspiracy theory allows them to negate the entire existence of Covid-19 and gives them some mental security that nothing is going to happen to them,” he added. Mindful of a potentially growing anti-vaxxers movement in India, the government has initiated work on an awareness campaign to dispel doubts about the vaccine. In a set of guidelines, the federal government asked states to ensure “factual and timely” information is shared with people to dispel A research scientist working inside a laboratory of India’s apprehension that may have been “introduced Serum Institute in Pune. A vaccine trial participant was after a short trial raising safety concerns, and fear hospitalised after he was administered the firm’s vaccine of adverse events, misconception about vaccine in October. PHOTO: REUTERS efficacy, rumours and negative narrative in the There have been small pockets of resistance media / social media space”. against vaccinations in pre-pandemic India, motivated by several factors, including a lack of trust in the government, fear of adverse side-effects as well as an entrenched belief in alternative medicinal Now that you’ve been jabbed... practices such as naturopathy, which shuns the use of vaccines. The aim of inoculation is to activate a natural immune response, which can include short-term and long-term protection These forces have regained momentum as details of the government’s coronavirus vaccination Initial immune response Covid-19 vaccines strategy were gradually made public. While videos questioning the need for a vaccine T cells To what extent a new B cells vaccine succeeds in are being circulated on social media networks, Destroy Create triggering long-term effects similar events have been held offline. infected antibodies cannot be con rmed until A press conference was organised on Dec 4 in that stop cells enough time has passed Mumbai by Awaken India, a collective of citizens who virus since the jab infecting advocate the use of naturopathy against Covid-19 cells Host cell and argue that the country’s low death rate from the illness does not justify measures such as mandatory Antibody Newly approved Covid-19 testing and vaccination of the entire population. vaccines will continue to be “One hundred per cent, I am not going to monitored to get a better get vaccinated,” said Mr Ambar Koiri, one of the understanding of their collective’s members who works for a robotics SARS-CoV-2 long-term ef cacy firm in Mumbai. He added his family as well as around 200,000 members of Awaken India and their Protection from reinfection families will not opt for vaccination. Studies have shown that it Lack of reliable information on the safety and B cells in the bone marrow continue is possible for the same efficacy of coronavirus vaccines – trials of which to create immunoglobulin G (IgG) person to be infected twice with SARS-CoV-2 have been greatly hastened – has also contributed antibodies which circulate in the to this trend of vaccine scepticism, including even bloodstream among some health workers who told the media If strong enough, they are known as they will wait for more details before getting neutralising antibodies and can This could imply that the vaccinated. provide sterilising immunity vaccination may also be Results of a survey released by LocalCircles, a short-lived community-based social media platform, found that vaccine hesitancy had increased among Indians and Functional immunity 69 per cent of its nearly 9,500 respondents said they Does not prevent reinfection but defeats On the other hand, the it quickly would not rush to get themselves vaccinated. Some second infections may even indicated they would wait until 2022 to get a have been due to a weak dose of the vaccine. Memory Memory initial immune response B cells T cells In October, a 40-year-old trial participant was admitted to a Chennai hospital after suffering “a virtual neurological breakdown” 10 days after he Some B cells mature and Can also develop and In which case, a was administered a dose of a vaccine manufactured enter lymph nodes and settle in lymphatic suf cient dose delivered by the Serum Institute of India. The Pune-based the spleen, these are organs and tissues via a jab could ensure activated if sterilising ready to tackle lasting protection firm dismissed the participant’s claim that the antibodies have dwindled reinfection reactions were a result of the vaccine as “malicious and misconceived” and also threatened to sue him. Source: AFP STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS

16 AsianInsider January 2021 Public health activists have, however, criticised starts,” Dr Anant Phadke, one of Aidan’s members the lack of transparency around the handling of told The Straits Times. this event by authorities, including how it became “Moreover, if all relevant details of the trial are publicly known more than a month after adverse not made public, if conflict of interests is not known reactions were first reported and that too only after and if pharma companies apply for emergency use the volunteer threatened to go to court. authorisation without full data from Phase 3 trials as The All India Drug Action Network (Aidan), in they have in India – how can this inspire confidence a letter to the government, said no public details in the concerned pharma companies?” were available to date regarding the handling of the While still not widespread in India, vaccine adverse event, and how it was determined that the scepticism as an “emerging challenge”, said Mr incident was not related to the vaccine candidate. Prakash. “If this seed of misinformation gets into “The long silence from the authorities was minds, it will be very difficult for the government perplexing. The vaccine may be good but its approval to vaccinate people. We, therefore, need to nip it process has to be fully transparent. This is something in the bud. If we don’t control it, it will definitely that is not happening and that is where suspicion escalate,” he told The Straits Times.

ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION

Here’s a look at how other Asian countries are planning to inoculate their people. South Korea to import Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer vaccines for 16 million people

SOUTH KOREA HAS SIGNED DEALS WITH Pfizer Inc and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen to import coronavirus vaccines to cover up to 16 million people, as it grapples with the third wave of infections, the country’s Prime Minister said. The government has been facing growing public The Pfizer and Janssen pressure over their Covid-19 vaccine procurement AstraZeneca Plc, which will be shipped as early as deals are part of a plans as the country struggled to contain a third January next year, and is in final talks with Moderna government plan to buy wave of the pandemic, reporting its second-highest Inc to sign a deal in January to secure 20 million doses. enough doses that will daily tally of cases on Dec 23. Health authorities will start a public vaccination allow immunisation of 85 per cent of South Korea’s Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine, developed with programme as early as February, which will be population of 52 million. German partner BioNTech, will be enough to cover completed around November, before the start of PHOTO: AFP for 10 million people and its shipment is expected the flu season, Dr Yang Dong-gyo, a senior official in the third quarter of 2021. at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency “We are mobilising the entire national capabilities (KDCA), told a briefing. to bring in the shipments within the second The government had allocated an additional 1.3 quarter,” Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a trillion won (S$1.56 billion) to this year’s budget televised briefing. “The negotiation is underway.” for vaccines. Mr Chung said the doses from Janssen – J&J’s South Korea has ramped up testing to more pharmaceuticals division – were added from the than 55,000 people a day, compared with roughly initial amount for 2 million people to 6 million and 16,000 a day in September, to track down cases from will be ready for inoculation from the second quarter. unknown origin and asymptomatic cases. The Pfizer and Janssen deals are part of a Asia’s fourth largest economy won international government plan to buy enough doses that will plaudits earlier this year when it quickly tamped down allow immunisation of 85 per cent of South Korea’s outbreaks with aggressive, high-tech contact tracing, population of 52 million. but officials acknowledged over-confidence that left The government had already signed a deal with them straining to contain a third wave. – Reuters

17 China to vaccinate 50 million people in high-priority groups

CHINA IS PLANNING TO VACCINATE 50 MILLION people in the high-priority group against the coronavirus before the start of the peak Chinese New Year travel season early this year, reports said. Beijing is planning to distribute 100 million doses Engineers working on monkey kidney cells for an experimental Covid-19 vaccine at the Sinovac Biotech of the vaccines made by Chinese firms Sinopharm facilities in Beijing. PHOTO: AFP and Sinovac Biotech, a report in South China Morning Post said. police officers, firefighters, customs officers, cargo China has granted emergency use status to two handlers, as well as transport and logistics workers. candidate vaccines from Sinopharm and one from Meanwhile, China’s Sichuan province planned Sinovac Biotech. It has approved a fourth, from to start vaccinating the elderly and people with CanSino Biologics, for military use. underlying conditions once the new year gets under The South China Morning Post report said that way, after it completes inoculations for priority Chinese officials have been asked to complete the groups, officials have said. first 50 million doses by Jan 15 and the second by Sichuan is the first province to outline a timeline Feb 5. of its vaccination plans for the public. The mass inoculation for high-priority groups The coronavirus, which first emerged in China aims to reduce the risks of the spread of the disease late last year, has largely been brought under control during the annual weeklong holiday, it added. in the country, but there have been a series of The high-priority group includes health workers, domestic outbreaks. – Reuters, AFP, Xinhua Malaysia to start Covid-19 vaccinations in February

MALAYSIA WILL BEGIN ADMINISTERING PFIZER’S In November, it inked a deal with Pfizer for 12.8 Covid-19 vaccine as early as February, with Prime million doses of the vaccine for 20 per cent of the Minister Muhyiddin Yassin among the first to population, and a pact with Covax to cover another receive the shot before front-liners. 10 per cent. The government will also procure enough vaccines Covax is an alliance of countries pooling their to cover more than 80 per cent of the population. resources to ensure the equitable global distribution “To convince the people that the vaccine obtained of Covid-19 vaccines. is safe and effective, I will be among the first The government is also in final negotiations with individuals to receive the Covid-19 vaccination,” Tan China’s Sinovac and CanSino, and Russia’s Gamaleya Sri Muhyiddin said in a televised speech on Dec 22. Institute to secure additional vaccine supply, Mr The vaccines will then be administered to front- Muhyiddin said. liners before being given to high-risk groups such as In total, there will be enough vaccines for more the elderly as well as those with non-communicable than 80 per cent or 26.5 million of the population diseases and chronic respiratory diseases, he said. at a cost of RM2.05 billion (S$675 million), he said. The government has also signed an agreement The government had originally aimed to provide with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to vaccines to 70 per cent of Malaysians, he added. procure 6.4 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine Science, Technology and Innovation Minister for 10 per cent of the population, added the premier. Khairy Jamaluddin tweeted that after signing deals This means Malaysia now has vaccines for 40 with Covax, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, and finalising per cent of its population. agreements with Sinovac, CanSino and Gamaleya, After signing deals Malaysia will have vaccines for almost 83 per cent with Covax, Pfizer and of the population at RM2.05 billion. The vaccines AstraZeneca, and finalising will be provided free to Malaysians, according to a agreements with Sinovac, poster which he tweeted. CanSino and Gamaleya, Malaysia will have vaccines Malaysia is currently battling a third wave of for almost 83 per cent of the Covid-19 outbreak, with 1,594 cases and three the population at RM2.05 deaths recorded on Dec 28. billion. PHOTO: REUTERS – Hazlin Hassan, Malaysia Correspondent

18 AsianInsider January 2021 Economic Affairs

VIKRAM KHANNA The Covid-19 Associate Editor economic crisis could morph [email protected] Negative growth and rising unemployment could give way to a corporate debt and banking crisis

ECONOMIC CRISES HAVE A TENDENCY TO MORPH. as 10 per cent of gross After a crisis gets under way, its epicentre can shift domestic product. and it can turn contagious in unpredictable ways, Across economies, impacting areas previously presumed relatively safe. about half of firms For example, what starts as a domestic crisis won’t be able to service can take on regional dimensions, affecting even their loans. Bankruptcies healthy economies, as we saw in Asia in 1997, or go could increase by 30 per cent global, as happened after the United States subprime in the Asia-Pacific over the com- mortgage crisis of 2007-2008. Crises can also spread ing year, he said. quickly from one sector to another and then engulf So far, bankruptcies resulting entire economies. Europe’s real estate crises in 2008 from the Covid-19 downturn morphed into banking crises a year later and then have remained largely bottled into a euro zone-wide sovereign debt crisis by 2012. up, mainly because of Covid-19 started out as a health crisis, which government assistance, it still is. But it quickly became an economic crisis relaxed bankruptcy laws in the face of lockdowns, supply chain disruptions and forbearance by banks. and the near-total closure of industries such as In Singapore, for example, international travel and tourism, parts of retail and besides providing finan- hospitality, live entertainment and nightlife. cial support, the Government has With vaccines being rolled out, economic recovery mandated moratoriums on legal is now within sight. Yet, there is reason to believe action over rents and contracts, that we may still be only at the end of the beginning and raised the thresholds for bank- of what could become yet another rolling crisis. ruptcy and insolvency proceedings. In an interview with The Straits Times, Mr Banks have been allowing small and Alfonso Garcia Mora, vice-president for the Asia- medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Pacific at the International Finance Corporation to defer repayments since April. (IFC) – the World Bank’s private-sector lending arm They might extend the deferrals – provided some clues as to what might lie ahead, beyond this year on a case-by-case and what needs to be done. basis. Many other countries have The immediate impact of Covid-19 on companies, adopted similar measures. ST ILLUSTRATION: MIEL he pointed out, was a shortage of liquidity because of But when the economic recovery gets under the collapse of demand and the disruption of supply way, the forbearance by banks will end and laws chains, which led to severe cash flow problems. This will revert to normal. The lagged effects of negative was largely resolved, mostly by central banks, which growth will also start to be felt. That is when pumped huge amounts of liquidity into economies. bankruptcies could start to take off.

THE COMING SOLVENCY CRISIS A SHOCK FOR BANKS But central banks can’t deal with solvency issues, Rising bankruptcies could deliver a rude shock to which are the next threat. The demand shock has many banks, which may not have been monitoring led to solvency problems because many companies the solvency of their borrowers during the can’t pay their essential expenses. “This is what is forbearance period. So while, right now, banks’ unfolding now,” said Mr Garcia Mora, especially in non-performing loans (NPLs) may seem low and the sectors worst impacted by the crisis, such as tour- manageable, the picture could change dramatically ism, which in some countries accounts for as much once forbearance ends, and the later it ends, the

19 more dramatic will be the change. Deciding which sectors merit support won’t be “When forbearance was announced, we thought easy, Mr Carstens added. Banks can help identify it would last three months to six months,” said Mr the appropriate targets. But they too would need Garcia Mora. “But we have already passed nine to revise the types of clients they lend to. Thus, as months, and there may be three to four months the Covid-19 crisis morphs, the responses to it – more to go before forbearance ends.” When that from governments, banks and companies – will happens, banks could discover that their NPLs are also need to change. not 2 per cent to 3 per cent as they were six months earlier, but in double digits. IFC’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19 AND “The banking sectors of some countries could SINGAPORE’S ROLE become stressed, especially those that entered the The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is crisis with already weak financial sectors,” said Mr responding to the Covid-19 crisis with what Mr Garcia Mora. “As of today we don’t have enough Alfonso Garcia Mora, its vice-president for the information to say whether banks will need to be Asia-Pacific, calls “the three Rs” – relief, restruc- bailed out, but we expect there will be cases which turing and recovery. will need support.” By way of relief, it has provided US$8 billion Covid-19 has already morphed from a health (S$10.7 billion) for working capital liquidity to crisis into a crisis of negative growth and rising firms in countries whose central banks were not unemployment. It could morph further into a able to come up with enough liquidity support. It corporate debt and banking crisis. So what needs also extended US$4 billion in financing for health, The banking to be done? including support for countries to develop and sectors of distribute vaccines, pharmaceuticals and personal DEALING WITH INSOLVENCIES protective equipment. some countries The first order of business should be for countries to It is also helping many of its client companies to could become create strong frameworks to deal with insolvencies. restructure their businesses for a changed world and is stressed, Many countries in the Asia-Pacific don’t have one, working with banks to resolve non-performing loans especially those Mr Garcia Mora pointed out. and take them off their books, to unlock fresh lending. The goal should be to ensure, first, that firms The IFC wants to promote “a resilient recovery”. that entered which are still solvent, but facing cash flow problems, This will involve several elements, according to Mr the crisis restructure so they can continue operations; and Garcia Mora. with already second, that firms which have become unviable go A crucial step will be to expand digital connectiv- ity. “There are about 3.5 billion people in the world weak financial into bankruptcy and get liquidated. Mr Garcia Mora proposed that ideally, these issues who are still offline,” he pointed out, which means sectors. As of should be tackled through out-of-court processes. they cannot benefit from rising digitalisation. today we don’t He is hesitant to recommend that governments In many poor countries, only one out of 25 jobs have enough take equity stakes in troubled companies. One can be done from home. “This pandemic is a crisis of problem is that having already run up huge inequality, which has increased significantly across information to fiscal deficits during the Covid-19 crisis so far, countries, social classes and genders. Women have say whether most governments lack the fiscal space to bail suffered 1.8 times as many job losses as men,” said banks will need out companies on a large scale. Another is that Mr Garcia Mora. The World Bank group has launched a Digital to be bailed out, mechanisms for the government to unwind its investments can be problematic. Development Partnership to work with the private but we expect sector to promote digital transformation in the there will be REALLOCATING CAPITAL developing world. Google and Microsoft are among the companies that have signed up as partners. cases which will Once insolvencies are dealt with, the next priority A resilient recovery will also involve helping need support. should be to accelerate the economic recovery firms to access green finance and blue bonds (which by channelling liquidity selectively to deserving raise funds for ocean-friendly projects), and build sectors. What will be needed, Mr Garcia Mora said, green infrastructure. These are areas where the IFC is “a massive reallocation of capital”. will be redoubling its efforts. This will be a tricky exercise. The general manager Singapore is critical to the IFC’s Asian operations. — MR ALFONSO of the Bank for International Settlements, Mr Agustin It has the largest presence among all international GARCIA MORA is Carstens, has pointed out that while economic financial institutions here, with more than 150 staff, vice-president for the growth will eventually return, “the engines will who work on countries ranging from Afghanistan Asia-Pacific at the not be the same... the economic landscape may to the Pacific Islands. International Finance have fundamentally changed”. “For us, Singapore is a vital knowledge hub Corporation. There will be more digital adoption in several for digitalisation, fintech and climate-related sectors, and consumer attitudes will have changed issues,” said Mr Garcia Mora. “It is also a hub for and may never return to what they were, pre- infrastructure financing. We are mobilising private pandemic. There will, for example, be more remote capital from Singapore. We want to help Singapore work, less travel, less offline shopping and less companies go overseas, where we can identify good eating out. While such trends will strengthen some opportunities and co-invest with them.” sectors, “they will also turn once-thriving sectors The Covid-19 crisis has opened up many new into deadwood”. opportunities for companies in Asia, he added.

20 AsianInsider January 2021 East Asia Watch Challenges in China’s quest for tech autonomy MADE IN CHINA ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO

China’s response to the United position in 5G technology by banning the sale of microchips to the firm, and the sale of equipment to States’ tech decoupling is to make those chips to top Chinese chipmaker SMIC. Such decoupling efforts have led to China aim for self-reliance and doubling down on its quest to attain technological innovative excellence, but there self-sufficiency and innovative excellence. This quest had its beginnings in the mid- are problems that it needs to 2000s when China had sought technological self- overcome to succeed sufficiency as a way to strengthen its own innovative capacity. The difference with the call now is that it is also a response to the changing and more hostile IN LATE OCTOBER, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT GOH SUI NOI external environment. Global Affairs announced its economic and social development As Mr Liu said in his article, “Faced with new Correspondent plans for the next five years and a vision for 2035 contradictions and challenges brought about by that included building technological self-reliance and changes in the external environment, we must adjust becoming a world leader in innovation by that year. the path of economic development” to one that In November, Vice-Premier Liu He, who led the was more autonomous, sustainable and resilient. drafting of the plans, in an article in the People’s China is willing to throw money into technology Daily called for the country to move faster towards – spending on research and development (R&D) is becoming technologically self-sufficient, saying this expected to rise to 3 per cent of its gross domestic and innovation are key to China’s development. product from 2.23 per cent in 2019 – and it is not After decades of being the factory of the world short of talent among its 1.4 billion population. But and lifting millions out of poverty, economic growth the less friendly external environment and internal [email protected] is slowing. It needs to move up the value chain to issues pose challenges to its quest. keep growing and escape the middle income trap. In the last decade or more, as factories making PLAYING CATCH-UP products such as toys, cameras and personal As China embarked on industrialisation in the computers relocated to lower-cost countries 1990s, foreign companies in industries such as such as Vietnam and Cambodia, China has been cars, electronics and pharmaceuticals were required investing in technology, making great strides in to form joint-venture firms with local ones when areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and setting up operations in China, to facilitate the telecommunications. transfer of technology. But in recent years, the West including the US In the 2000s, however, China began to promote has become increasingly unhappy with what it sees indigenous innovation to catch up with the West as China’s use of underhanded tactics such as forced in technology. As then President Jiang Zemin technology transfer and intellectual property theft said in 1999: “In today’s world, the core of each to acquire technology from the West. The US is also country’s competitive strength is intellectual wary of China’s technological progress as it sees innovation, technological innovation and high- China as a strategic competitor whose authoritarian tech industrialisation.” system differs from the US’ democratic one. Under Mr Jiang’s successor Hu Jintao, a In response, the US has started to decouple programme was drawn up in 2006 to promote technologically from the Asian giant, while other indigenous innovation titled National Medium- And Western countries have become more cautious in Long-Term Plan For The Development of Science dealing with China when it comes to advanced and Technology (2006-2020). It acknowledged that technology. “despite the size of our economy, our country is not For example, the US has sought to undermine an economic power, primarily because of our weak Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei’s leading innovative capacity”.

21 Apart from higher state spending on science and on research will continue, as it knows it needs to technology and new policies to encourage R&D, keep learning from advanced foreign partners. But regulations were put in place to protect local tech in the climate of increased wariness, the question industries. In response to the rapidly changing is whether it can continue with this strategy of technological environment, however, this “go- cooperation with foreign research partners. it-alone” techno-nationalistic strategy was later Apart from foreign collaboration, China is replaced with one that combined indigenous also well aware of the need to train more of its innovation with collaboration with foreign firms. own talent in science and technology to boost its In 2015, China launched its Made in China 2025 innovative capacities. Last January, the Education plan to update its manufacturing base by rapidly Ministry launched an initiative called the Strong China has developing 10 high-tech industries including new Base Plan to get China’s universities to enrol more been adept at energy vehicles, next-generation information students in subjects such as mathematics, physics, applying new technology and telecoms, advanced robotics and chemistry and biology. Graduates would be expected artificial intelligence. to contribute in areas such as high-tech chips, new technologies Its goal was to help China transition from low- materials and advanced production. to create wildly level, low-value manufacturing to a high-tech, high- It also has schemes such as the Thousand Talents successful productivity economy and reduce its dependence on Programme to encourage top-tier Chinese scientists, products and foreign technology. Among the measures taken were scholars and entrepreneurs living overseas to return direct subsidies to Chinese firms and investments and is recruiting foreign researchers to work in its labs. services, but has in and acquisitions of foreign high-tech firms. However, a study on China’s research environ- fallen short at China’s policies, together with its technical talent ment published in 2018 showed several challenges inventing new and entrepreneurship, have led to the country’s to its endeavour to become a global innovator. One technology – rapid rise in areas such as artificial intelligence is an environment that does not promote innovative and 5G technology. Dr Kai-fu Lee, a tech venture or original research because quantity is empha- a deficiency it capitalist based in Beijing, said there is now a sised over quality of research. Academic fraud is a wants to redress. clear US-China duopoly in artificial intelligence. recurring problem. “AI in China is rising rapidly, boosted by several Another problem highlighted by the study is the structural advantages: huge data sets, a young army excessive governmental intervention in directing of technical talent, aggressive entrepreneurs, and scientific research leading to a rigid system that strong and pragmatic government policy,” he told lacks academic freedom. While China’s universities Project Syndicate last year. were granted greater autonomy in the 1980s and He noted how the runaway success of TikTok 1990s, the central government and the Chinese could not be copied by top US firms as the video- Communist Party (CCP) have recently tightened sharing app had leveraged China’s natural advantage control, as President Xi Jinping seeks to turn higher in having access to huge amounts of data. It then institutions of learning into “strongholds of the created similar experiences for different audiences Party’s leadership”. in other countries. It is a similar situation in the private sector, where TikTok’s success is due to the excellent the relatively open environment from the 1990s to application of artificial intelligence, not through any the early 2010s that spawned the likes of Alibaba breakthroughs in artificial intelligence technologies. and Tencent is being curtailed as government and And therein lies the rub – China has been adept party control over private companies grows. From at applying new technologies to create wildly 2018, private firms were required to expand the successful products and services, but has fallen China’s Education Ministry role of the CCP in their governance. In September launched an initiative short at inventing new technology – a deficiency last year, the CCP announced guidelines that would called the Strong Base Plan it wants to redress. give party committees in private companies greater to better allow graduates say in personnel appointments and other important to contribute in areas such SPEED BUMPS AHEAD as high-tech chips, new decisions. materials and advanced In announcing its plans for technological self-reliance, Another question hanging over industrial production. PHOTO: China has stressed that international collaboration innovation is whether in the current climate the BLOOMBERG government will continue to give space to industries to create and innovate by wielding a light regulatory hand, tightening the rules only when things threatened to spiral out of control, as it has done in the past. Mr Liu emphasised the need to “develop the scientific spirit, encourage bold exploration and reasonable doubt, strengthen basic research and focus on original innovation”. It will be a difficult balancing act asserting control over academia and industry, yet allowing enough room for innovation. But success in this, as well as in maintaining collaboration with foreign partners, will be key to China realising its ambitious goals of technological self-reliance and leading the world in innovation.

22 AsianInsider January 2021 Power Play An iron fist in a velvet glove – the next chapter in Sino-US ties

As China sizes up the Biden team, both parties signal how they hope to shape bilateral relations

A YEAR AGO, CHINA AND THE UNITED States were on the cusp of inking the phase one trade deal, putting a halt to what was then an escalating tariff war. In Beijing, there was cautious opti- mism that the interim deal could herald a turning point in what was then a rapidly souring relationship. But as the intervening year has shown, Covid-19 put paid to those hopes. Distrust has grown and dialogue has all but stopped. Both sides have shut consulates and expelled journalists as relations entered a dangerous winter. One year on, the same cautious optimism is returning to Beijing. Mr Biden’s Cabinet appointees responsible for ST ILLUSTRATION: With the Trump administration on its way out MANNY FRANCISCO and President-elect Joe Biden set to take power shaping the administration’s China policy are being with a fresh team come Jan 20, signs have emerged closely scrutinised. that Chinese leaders are seeking a reset in Beijing’s Chinese experts have been poring over the relations with Washington, and are watching Mr comments and writings of Mr Antony Blinken and Biden’s key Cabinet appointments closely. Mr Jake Sullivan, the President-elect’s nominees A flurry of signals on China’s intention to rebuild for secretary of state and national security adviser the relationship has come since late November. Chi- respectively, to suss out their views and likely policy DANSON CHEONG nese President Xi Jinping in his congratulatory message responses on China-related matters. China Correspondent to Mr Biden on Nov 25 wrote that he hoped both sides Articles like the one Mr Sullivan co-wrote with In Beijing would be able to manage and control differences, and former assistant secretary of state Kurt Campbell for Foreign Affairs magazine, titled “Competition focus on cooperation to advance relations. without catastrophe”, have been held up as examples A day earlier, former top Chinese diplomat Fu that Mr Biden’s America would find ways to coexist Ying wrote in a commentary in The New York Times with China even as the two countries compete. saying both countries needed to have candid talks As for Mr Blinken, he is a familiar face in Chinese to restore trust. She suggested that both sides could foreign policy circles. He visited China in 2015 and cooperate on dealing with health crises and climate 2016 when he was deputy secretary of state, and change, and that their militaries should have talks co-hosted a bilateral security dialogue with then [email protected] at a “strategic level”. Chinese vice-foreign minister Zhang Yesui during Then in early December, Chinese Foreign the latter’s visit. Minister Wang Yi made clear China’s desire for a Reports in September that he had remarked that reset in a video call with board members of the it was unrealistic and counter-productive for the US-China Business Council when he said restarting US to “fully decouple” from China would be a relief dialogue and rebuilding trust were the most pressing to the Chinese looking for some moderation after tasks at the moment. the Trump years. But analysts are less sure about Mr Biden’s choice READING THE RUNES for trade representative, Democrat trade lawyer Now with a changing of the guard, Beijing sees an Katherine Tai. opportunity to stabilise relations after the tumult Ms Tai, who has extensive experience in dealing of the Trump administration. with China and speaks fluent Mandarin, taught

23 Chinese experts have been poring over the Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken is a familiar Analysts are less sure about President-elect Joe comments of Mr Jake Sullivan, to suss out his views face in Chinese foreign policy circles and visited China in Biden’s choice for trade representative, Democrat on China-related matters. PHOTO: REUTERS 2015 and 2016 as deputy secretary of state. PHOTO: AFP trade lawyer Katherine Tai. PHOTO: REUTERS

English at a university in Guangzhou from 1996 to (currently embroiled in an ugly spat with Beijing) 1998 under a Yale University fellowship and was and pro-democracy lawmakers in . chief counsel for China trade enforcement at the As one Chinese expert neatly summarised for Office of the US Trade Representative from 2011 the Global Times, he sees Mr Biden’s foreign policy to 2014. She has called for both an “offensive and team as an “iron fist in a velvet glove”. defensive” approach in trade policy. Some would say the same of Beijing’s response The trio have been described as “establishment to the incoming US administration. It is instructive elites” and old hands – all were senior administration that while China has said it would like to cooperate officials during the Obama years. with the US on areas such as climate change and The consensus in Beijing is that the Trump pandemic preparedness, the red lines remain on administration’s mercurial approach to China issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang or Taiwan. relations will give way to a more coordinated one Longer-term objectives aside, there are signs (Rolling back under Mr Biden. that Beijing is already moving tactically to counter The nationalist Global Times, which has been Washington’s efforts to court other countries in Trump’s withering in its criticism of current Secretary of order to forge a multinational front against China. sanctions) will State Mike Pompeo, has also undergone a change For instance, China’s Foreign Minister, Mr Wang, invite political of tone. In a report in November that canvassed visited Japan and South Korea in late November to accusations the views of Chinese experts, it said the Biden discuss cooperation over Covid-19 and trade. Experts officials would bring back a “rational and pragmatic have said the visit could also lay the groundwork that Biden or his approach” to Sino-US ties. for a trilateral summit. people are weak Given the cautiously optimistic nature of Beijing’s Mr Xi has also been busy phoning European leaders on China and recent comments, it is possible that China could such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French it will become send a high-level representative to Washington President Emmanuel Macron – where he stressed soon after the inauguration on Jan 20 to kick-start the need to maintain close communication and co- an issue in dialogue, said Associate Professor Li Mingjiang from operation between China and the European Union. the midterm the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies With Asean, Beijing recently inked the Regional election in in Singapore. Comprehensive Economic Partnership trade pact, two years or “Their appointments (of Mr Blinken and Mr and has also been offering Chinese Covid-19 Sullivan) would have given Chinese leaders some vaccines as part of its diplomatic push. in the next positivity or glimmer of hope that Sino-US relations Not all of China’s tactical efforts to nip in the bud presidential could be shaped towards a more stable or coopera- a US alliance are velveteen soft. Australia, frequently election. tive track,” he said. described by China’s state media as America’s “lapdog”, has in recent months been subjected to Chinese LIMITS TO BETTER TIES curbs on its key exports such as wine and coal, not Having said that, a complete reset in relations will be to mention a controversial tweet by combative Chinese highly unlikely. Among Americans, distrust in China Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. — ASSOCIATE has grown to historic highs, and Chinese experts The hard-pressure tactics are widely seen as PROFESSOR acknowledge that Mr Biden’s China policy will a warning to other countries against being too LI MINGJIANG continue to be dictated by the bipartisan political enthusiastic in supporting America in its contest consensus on China. with China. This would limit the incoming administration’s But Chinese leaders face a delicate balancing act space to roll back Trump-era measures. Mr Biden in this carrot and stick approach – using the stick has already said he would not immediately remove too hard to bend others to its will will likely increase trade war tariffs on China without reviewing the anxieties over the rise of China, and encourage some phase one trade deal and consulting allies. nations to avoid being trapped in a dependent Therefore, even if Mr Biden’s China team dialled relationship with China. down the harsh Trump-era rhetoric, expect its A bitter cold has descended on Beijing’s ties with members to seek out allies as they exert pressure Washington, and if Chinese leaders hope to usher on Beijing on issues from trade to human rights. in a new spring come Jan 20, addressing this unease Mr Sullivan has tweeted his support for Australia would be a good place to start.

24 AsianInsider January 2021 Spotlight ASIA’S VIRUS BUSTERS heroes in fight to end 6 Covid-19 pandemic SIX PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPENT 2020 TIRELESSLY of developing vaccines against the virus; and two MAGDALENE FUNG seeking a way out of the greatest crisis of our era have businessmen – South Korea’s Mr Seo Jung-jin and Assistant Foreign been named The Straits Times Asians of the Year. India’s Mr Adar Poonawalla – whose companies will Editor Between them, the recipients of the 2020 award enable the making and dispensing of the vaccines capture the entire trajectory of the response to the and other Covid-19 treatments to the world. Covid-19 pandemic. Collectively referred to as “the virus busters”, They are Chinese researcher Zhang Yongzhen, they are heroes of a kind, having devoted themselves who led the team that mapped and published to the pressing cause of resolving the coronavirus online the first complete genome of Sars-CoV-2, pandemic, each in their own capacity. the virus that sparked the pandemic; three scientists “Sars-CoV-2, the virus that has brought death and – China’s Major-General Chen Wei, Japan’s Dr hardship to the world’s largest and most populous Ryuichi Morishita and Singapore’s Professor Ooi continent, is meeting its tamer in The Virus Busters,” [email protected] Eng Eong – who are among those at the forefront the award citation said. “We salute your courage,

PHOTO: CHINACDC.CN PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Professor Zhang Yongzhen, 55 Major-General Chen Wei, 54 Professor Zhang published the first Maj-Gen Chen worked from a makeshift laboratory in complete genome of Sars-CoV-2 in January, Wuhan during the start of pandemic, where she and which allowed health authorities around the a team of military scientists researched on treatment world to recognise the mysterious pathogen. for patients. She was given the title of People’s Hero by His decision to publish the genome map President Xi Jinping at a ceremony in September and has helped save countless lives by reducing the also been leading a team to work on a vaccine with Chinese time it takes to get a diagnosis. biopharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics. Read more: https://str.sg/JEBM Read more: https://str.sg/JEBQ

25 care, commitment and creativity. In this peril-filled an urgency never attempted or seen before. Their hour, you are a symbol of hope for Asia, indeed commitment and actions have helped save lives and the world.” give hope to people all around Asia, and the world.” In deciding to honour The Virus Busters, ST editors had in mind those who have, in one way or WORKING TO END PANDEMIC another, enabled the complex, multi-stage process Professor Zhang Yongzhen, 55, of China’s Shanghai of preventing as many people around the world Public Health Clinical Centre helped kick-start the from getting the deadly disease in as little time process of working towards an end to the pandemic. as possible. He and his team toiled through two straight Said Mr Warren Fernandez, editor-in-chief of nights in early January – after receiving their first Singapore Press Holdings’ English/Malay/Tamil sample of the mysterious illness then plaguing the Media Group and editor of ST: “Each year, ST editors city of Wuhan in central Hubei province – to map seek out a person, team or organisation that has the first complete genome of the virus. not only made or shaped the news, but also helped With the identification of the pathogen came contribute positively to Asia in the process. the realisation of the enormity of the situation. “This year, we naturally looked to those involved Prof Zhang’s team quickly shared their findings in the fight against Covid-19, which has dominated with the authorities and posted the information the headlines. We debated long and hard, but finally online to alert the global scientific community of agreed on a group of people who have done the the dangerous virus about to sweep the world. most to help find an answer to the crisis brought It would have taken extraordinary gumption to on by the virus. do so, as some whistle-blowing doctors who had “They are a disparate group whose collective earlier tried to sound the alarm about the disease efforts have pushed forward the search for vaccines, had been detained at that time. Prof Zhang and his allowing these to be discovered and delivered with team’s timely transparency proved vital in the swift

PHOTO: REUTERS PHOTO: CELLTRION

Dr Ryuichi Morishita, 58 Seo Jung-jin, 63 Dr Morishita is charting a radical path Chairman of one of South Korea’s largest in the field of biopharmaceuticals pharmaceutical firms, Celltrion, Mr Seo is investing by experimenting with DNA vaccines 300 billion won (S$370 million) into the firm’s against infectious diseases like Covid-19, experimental antibody treatment that will as well as intractable diseases like complement the Covid-19 vaccines. About 100,000 cancer and hypertension. doses have already been made for domestic use. Read more: https://str.sg/JEBA Read more: https://str.sg/JEBW

26 AsianInsider January 2021 development of testing kits and early research into Arcturus Therapeutics to develop a messenger RNA treatments and vaccines for the illness. (mRNA) vaccine. Over in Wuhan, the Chinese military’s top The DNA and mRNA vaccines differ from epidemiologist Chen Wei, 54, scrambled to develop traditional ones in that, instead of injecting a form a viable vaccine to bring an end to the outbreak that of a virus into the body, they take only a small part she could already foresee wreaking havoc across of the coronavirus’ genetic data to stimulate cells the globe. to create a protein that would produce antibodies In barely 50 days, she and her team had produced against the virus. a potential vaccine with Chinese firm CanSino If the DNA and mRNA Covid-19 vaccines make Biologics ready for clinical trials. It became the it through the clinical trials and are approved for world’s first vaccine to be approved for restricted use in humans, they will be among the very first use. of their kind. While Maj-Gen Chen’s vaccine employed a tried- The first such mRNA vaccine, an American- and-tested method of using a common cold virus German collaboration by drug-makers Pfizer and to carry genetic data of the coronavirus’ protein BioNTech, was approved for mass production only to elicit an immune response, other researchers on Dec 2. are blazing a trail in experimenting with novel These novel technologies can be developed technologies in developing their own vaccines. quickly, and may churn out vaccines that are In Japan, Dr Ryuichi Morishita, 58, a professor cheaper to produce. of clinical gene therapy at Osaka University, is The Asian efforts are but part of a wider, global working with home-grown biotech start-up AnGes collaboration. Developers in the United States and on a DNA vaccine, while Singapore’s Professor Ooi Europe, too, have been working at lightning speed Eng Eong, 53, is leading scientists at the Duke- to crunch down the typical years taken to create a NUS Medical School and US pharmaceutical firm vaccine to just months.

PHOTO: SERUM INSTITUTE OF INDIA ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

Adar Poonawalla, 39 Professor Ooi Eng Eong, 53 Billionaire chief executive of India’s Serum Institute Mr Professor Ooi Eng Eong of the Duke-NUS Medical Poonawalla has put US$250 million (S$333 million) of School is co-developer of a Covid-19 vaccine his family fortune into ramping up his firm’s vaccine candidate that is among only 51 in the world being manufacturing capacity. The institute has started off by tested on humans. The early-phase trials for the producing 40 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which Lunar-Cov19 vaccine co-developed by Prof Ooi will retail for US$3 (S$4) to US$4 per dose for government and American pharmaceutical company Arcturus procurement and US$5 to US$6 for direct private sales. Therapeutics began in Singapore in October. Read more: https://str.sg/JEBP Read more: https://str.sg/JEBn

27 There are promising vaccine candidates from Mr Adar Poonawalla – billionaire chief executive Russia and China as well, though they have been of India’s Serum Institute, the world’s biggest less transparent in releasing clinical trial results. producer of vaccines, has put US$250 million (S$333 million) of his family fortune into ramping up his BUSINESSES INVOLVED firm’s manufacturing capacity. Scientists and researchers are not the only ones “I decided to go all out,” said Mr Poonawalla, with a part to play. 39, who has pledged that his firm’s Covid-19 Nations are now gearing up for mass production vaccines will help supply lower- and middle-income and distribution of these much-anticipated vaccines, countries that face significant disadvantages in the with many in Asia moving to make them free for their quest to obtain them. people. Among those enabling the process are two Serum Institute is also developing its own key Asian businessmen whose contributions have vaccine. helped push us closer by the day towards the end In the big picture of ending the pandemic, goal of getting billions of doses of the vaccines and commonality of purpose is key. The ST Asians of treatments within reach of people around the world. the Year have led the way, as have scores of other Mr Seo Jung-jin, chairman of one of South individuals in their own fields. When an end comes Korea’s largest pharmaceutical firms, Celltrion, into sight, it will be due in no small part to these and the country’s second-richest man, is investing people who – undaunted by the tumult – have 300 billion won (S$370 million) into producing committed themselves to the sobering, much- an antibody treatment that will complement needed work to put together an exit plan from the the Covid-19 vaccines. Celltrion is also South crisis, for humanity. Korea’s biggest distributor of biological medicines Said Ms Bhagyashree Garekar, ST’s foreign worldwide. editor: “There has not been a day this year when With an eye towards offering affordable the pandemic has not been in the news. ST’s editors treatment, Mr Seo, 63, has vowed to provide felt there could be no more deserving recipients this Celltrion’s Covid-19 drug – which will seek year than the people squaring up to Asia’s biggest- conditional approval by the end of this month – at ever health challenge, engaged in pioneering and production cost in South Korea, and at lower prices courageous efforts to prevent the highly contagious than competitors to the rest of the world. virus from wreaking more damage. “During a pandemic crisis, pharmaceutical “In a year that is ending with a wish for great companies must serve as public assets for the resets... Asia’s virus busters are the face of hope on country,” said Mr Seo. the horizon.”

Past recipients of The Straits Times Asian of the Year award

2012 2016 2017 Myanmar President “The Disruptors”: Grab co-founders Chinese President Xi Jinping Thein Sein Anthony Tan and Tan Hooi Ling, Flipkart co-founders Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal, Gojek founder and chief 2018 2013 executive Nadiem Makarim, Tencent “The First Responders”: Chinese President Xi Holdings founder Pony Ma and Razer Singaporean paraglider Ng Kok Jinping (right) and then- co-founder Tan Min-Liang Choong (awarded posthumously), Japanese Prime Minister Indian Navy helicopter pilots Shinzo Abe Grab co-founders Tan Hooi Ling (left) P. Rajkumar and Vijay Varma, and fellow Malaysian Anthony Tan. Indonesia’s national disaster management agency spokesman 2014 Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Singapore’s Indian Prime Minister Mercy Relief, and Jakarta-based Narendra Modi (right) Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management 2015 Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (right), 2019 awarded posthumously Indonesian President Joko Widodo

PHOTOS: REUTERS, AFP, ST FILE, GRAB

28 AsianInsider January 2021 Singapore Watch No cakewalk for upcoming digital banks in Singapore

OVAIS SUBHANI Senior Correspondent

[email protected]

But long-term opportunities abound if they can go regional, make services user-friendly

WHILE THE USE OF DIGITAL SERVICES HAS surged, winners of Singapore’s digital bank licences face a long haul to attain business viability and realise the full potential of the local and broader South-east Asian markets. First, it will take them at least a year to fulfil prudential and regulatory requirements, and raise the resources – capital and manpower – as well as put together the necessary technological infrastructure to launch their operations in earnest. Next, in a market like Singapore’s, with dominant incumbent banks, the newcomers may face diffi- culty out-investing leading conventional banks in digitalisation to offer a distinctive value proposition beyond niche areas. Timing-wise, early 2022 would probably be the most opportune period to kick-start a new business. By that time, most – if not all – economies in the region would have recovered from the debilitating shock delivered by the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing and lockdowns associated with Covid-19 have accelerated the shift towards digital ST ILLUSTRATION: CEL GULAPA services, including banking. But winning the trust and loyalty of the ST ILLUSTRATION: On the other hand, the challenges posed by the unbanked and underserved segments, who have CEL GULAPA pandemic-driven downturn to the business models been disproportionately hit by the economic shock, of virtual banks worldwide may offer valuable may take time, and keep opportunities for profitable lessons for newcomers on surviving, and even lending few and far between in early days. thriving, through a recession. Also, Singapore is not exactly considered an Some of the momentum of the surge in digital unbanked or underserved market. So unless the usage is likely to persist in the post-Covid-19 world. digital banks here can spread out their services to Businesses and consumers fresh out of the pall the rest of South-east Asia, their profitability will of gloom cast by the pandemic may look for new remain a question. and more accessible sources to whet their renewed For instance, South Korea’s Kakao Bank achieved appetite for investment and retail spending. break-even – the point at which cost and income are Reaching out to underbanked individuals and equal – in about two years from its launch in mid-2017. underserved businesses by incorporating innovative Singapore has only one-tenth of the population technology – such as artificial intelligence – is, in of South Korea, and its incumbent banks – DBS, fact, the key value proposition of digital banks that OCBC and UOB – are far more digitally advanced sets them apart from the traditional incumbents. than their North Asian peers.

29 The New York-listed Sea can also exploit the large volume of high-frequency and real-time data on its existing platforms for developing credit models and internal digital-only risk management frameworks. Shopee alone can provide Sea with the perfect springboard to launch financial banking services – transactional accounts and merchant loans – across South-east Asia. E-commerce penetration is, however, quite weak Social distancing and in this region. For instance, the penetration rate in The journey to business viability took time, lockdowns associated with Indonesia is less than 3 per cent. even though the mobile-only bank – built on the Covid-19 have accelerated While the underpenetration represents a huge the shift towards digital back of its popular messaging platform Kakao Talk opportunity if new digital banks here can come up services, including – attracted a whopping 300,000 accounts in the banking. PHOTO: MCI with user-friendly apps to access their financial first 24 hours after its launch. products and services, it is also a reality check on In terms of consumer lending, excluding housing the lack of tech-savviness among regional small mortgages, Kakao’s loan portfolio stands at just 2.6 and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are per cent of the South Korean market and it took a target market for digital full banks and the only three years to secure that share. focus area for digital wholesale banks. The Grab-Singtel consortium – one of two winners However, SMEs across the region continue to of a digital full bank licence – is likely to take more struggle with extracting the full benefits of the time to achieve break-even and may struggle to secure emerging digital economy, even in countries like The Covid-19 a sizeable share in the consumer loan market here. Singapore, where the Government has several crisis did not That is because the Grab-Singtel subscriber schemes to help them get connected. base spread across South-east Asia comes to about just boost So, digital banks may have to play a key role in 190 million, and a much smaller number of those educating their commercial clients on how to access demand for subscribers are on Singtel’s Dash wallet and Grab their services and loans – an area where incumbent digital services, Pay. In comparison, Kakao Bank started with the traditional banks are already quite active. it also triggered 220 million global subscriber base of Kakao Talk. The need for, and competition to develop, user- The Covid-19 crisis did not just boost demand for friendly and educational apps can open up some a flight to digital services, it also triggered a flight to quality interesting opportunities for the fintech community quality that that benefited traditional banks, in terms of access in Singapore. benefited to funding. If the newcomers and incumbents aggressively tap traditional The crisis has also forced these established banks the expertise of local fintechs, the benefits may spill to accelerate their digitalisation efforts, reducing across Singapore’s financial industry and jobs market. banks, in terms the risk of complacency, and potentially closing off Ant Group’s success in winning a digital wholesale of access to openings for new entrants. Still, another winner of bank licence guarantees heated competition on the funding. a digital full bank licence – Sea – may have an edge, technological front. given its extensive global footprint. Ant’s parent is China’s fintech and e-commerce Putting together the user base of its existing plat- giant Alibaba, owner of Alibaba Cloud, which offers forms – Garena for digital entertainment, Shopee everything from electronic clearing services and for e-commerce and SeaMoney for financial services e-learning courses to virtual servers for payments. – the total comes to about 685 million. Such competitors, with the right pedigree and Part of that user base can be monetised for financial and technological resources, may pose a starters and gives Sea a substantial advantage over greater competitive threat over the medium term its competitors. to the region’s digitally less-prepared rivals.

GRACE HO Senior Political Correspondent Singapore strong on digital adoption: WEF

While the nation fared well FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ITS LAUNCH ABOUT 40 years ago, the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) with healthcare and social Global Competitiveness Report has suspended its annual ranking of the competitiveness of countries. safety nets, it performed Faced with the need for new thinking on less so on flexible work economic recovery, as well as missing data from [email protected] international organisations amid the Covid-19 arrangements pandemic, the WEF has instead turned its focus to the qualities that will empower a country for future economic transformation.

30 AsianInsider January 2021 WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2020: Top 10 economies across different areas of digital transformation Information Flexible work Digital legal Rank and communications Digital skills framework technology adoption arrangements 1 South Korea 93.7 Netherlands 82.7 Finland 84.3 United States 78.0 2 92.3 New Zealand 77.7 Sweden 79.5 Luxembourg 77.4 3 Hong Kong 90.2 Switzerland 75.8 Estonia 77.9 Singapore 76.5 4 Sweden 89.7 Estonia 75 Iceland 77.6 United Arab Emirates 72.5 5 Japan 88.3 United States 74.2 Netherlands 77.3 Malaysia 70 6 Singapore 88.1 Luxembourg 73.6 Singapore 77.3 Estonia 69.3 7 Iceland 87.8 China 73.6 Israel 76.5 Sweden 67.9 8 Norway 84.7 Australia 72.9 Denmark 74.7 Finland 67.7 9 Qatar 83.9 Finland 72.5 Saudi Arabia 74.1 Germany 67.3 10 Lithuania 83.8 Denmark 72.4 South Korea 73 Netherlands 65.5 NOTE: All scores are expressed on a 0-100 scale. Sources: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, EXECUTIVE OPINION SURVEY 2019-2020 AND INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION, WTDS 2020 DATABASE STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS

It has identified 11 priority areas for governments Governance and planning across four key areas: the enabling environment, 3 Countries that can better plan and coordinate human capital, markets and the innovation health measures with fiscal and social policies ecosystem. These are listed in a special edition of are more successful in tackling the crisis, said the report. the WEF annual report released on Dec 16. Countries that have performed “relatively well” It also said that countries like Singapore, which in this area include Singapore, Switzerland, Lux- are digitally advanced, are well placed to manage embourg, Austria and the UAE. the impact of Covid-19 because they have strong social safety nets and robust healthcare systems. 4 Healthcare system and research “While the immediate priority is to respond to capacity the health crisis... it is also a moment to determine Anecdotal evidence shows economies that experienced previous coronavirus epidemics like how we may shape our economic systems in the Sars – such as South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan future so that they are not just productive but also – had better protocols and technological systems lead to environmental sustainability and shared in place to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. prosperity,” it added. Countries with greater biotechnology capacity Here is how Singapore fared in some of the areas: and established collaborations between universities It added that and companies – such as Switzerland, the US and the global talent Human capital development Netherlands – are better able to develop solutions shortages 1 Singapore tied with Finland for having a to cope with future pandemics, the report said. tertiary education system that is well placed will remain Digital transformation to meet the needs of employers. It scored 79 out of 5 significant 100 points, behind Switzerland (82). Singapore is placed third on a list of top unless Overall, human capital development in advanced 10 economies with a robust digital legal countries ramp economies has stagnated over the last 10 years, framework. The US is first, followed by Luxembourg. the report said. “Across developed and developing It also fared well in information and communications up reskilling economies, talent gaps remain large, local education technology adoption (sixth) and digital skills (sixth). and upskilling systems are increasingly outdated and there are But it is not among the top 10 for flexible work programmes. limits to international mobility.” arrangements like virtual teams and remote working. The report noted that while countries should It added that global talent shortages will remain incentivise companies to move towards digital busi- significant unless countries ramp up reskilling and ness models, invest in ICT development and digital upskilling programmes. It cited Singapore and skills, and update their digital legal frameworks, few France as examples of countries which have funded countries are advanced in all these aspects. workers for additional training. Movement of people Safety nets and financial soundness 6 Singapore is among the 30 economies out 2 Economies with strong safety nets – such as of 141 surveyed where hiring foreign labour Denmark, Finland and Norway – are better has become harder than it was in 2008. able to salvage livelihoods. Others include Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, The report also cited Singapore, Taiwan, Finland, Iceland, the United Kingdom and Sweden. The tighten- the United States and the United Arab Emirates ing of migration policies has limited companies’ access (UAE) as economies with strong financial systems. to the international pool of talent, said the report. This means they can more easily provide credit It also said Covid-19 has sharpened the decline in to small and medium-sized enterprises and keep international openness, and there is a risk that these them afloat, it said. protectionist policies and mindsets will persist.

31 Country Report Budget crisis ends, but Malaysia no closer to stability

“Anwar has to forget about getting Umno’s support to be PM. It is the end of the road for that idea,” BowerGroupAsia’s political risk analyst Adib Zalkapli told The Straits Times. But speculation surrounding whether the Perikatan Nasional administration would be ousted persisted, and in fact grew progressively more incredible. Right from when opposition leader Anwar claimed the now widely mocked “strong, formidable and convincing” majority in September, the open secret that he wanted the 91 MPs in his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to join hands with Umno rebels seemed an unlikely prospect. One rumour that went viral was that Mr Anwar had secured up to 115 out of Parliament’s 220 MPs, and that his ally, the Democratic Action Party, had a total change of heart about working with Zahid and Najib, to the extent of allowing dozens of corruption charges levelled against the duo to be dropped, and even for the latter to head the government in an interim role. The momentum pointing to a defeat of Budget 2021 gathered steam on Dec 14, when two former Prime Minister Muhyiddin foes – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Umno’s Yassin’s Budget 2021 has finally been approved Speculation surrounding advisory council chief Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah after surviving scares that whether the Perikatan Nasional – held a shock joint press conference predicting have gripped Malaysia for the collapse of the Muhyiddin administration and six weeks. PHOTO: REUTERS administration would be ousted calling for lawmakers to vote with their conscience, and then to form a unity government ostensibly led has persisted and grown or guided by these two veterans. progressively more incredible. The perceived political risk spooked investors enough to end a five-day winning streak on the local bourse, with the benchmark Kuala Lumpur PRIME MINISTER MUHYIDDIN YASSIN’S BUDGET Composite Index falling by 2 per cent on Dec 14 SHANNON TEOH 2021 was finally approved in December after afternoon. It swiftly recovered as soon as the final Malaysia Bureau Chief surviving threats, warnings, scares and sometimes budget vote was won late the next day. ridiculous rumours that have gripped Malaysia for Through it all, Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s majority six weeks. has stood firm. Aside from the abstaining Tengku Perhaps the intrigue need not have gone on after Razaleigh – the 83-year-old is Malaysia’s longest- the first vote on Nov 26, when Parliament adopted serving lawmaker – the other 111 MPs, including a the budget at the second reading. handful of Umno leaders who have complained about After all, Tan Sri Muhyiddin, 73, was sworn in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin’s on March 1 after a week-long political crisis that leadership, were present and accounted for. This engulfed the nation, simply because he was the only leaves Malaysia still mired in uncertain times. [email protected] acceptable compromise candidate among enough “It has been 10 months since the formation of MPs who wanted to ensure Datuk Seri Anwar the new government,” Umno deputy president Ibrahim would not ascend to the premiership. Mohamad Hasan said, referring to when the Dr In the end, Mr Anwar’s gambit in recent months Mahathir-led PH government fell. “Sadly, there of joining hands with scandal-hit Umno president seems to be no solution... The continuous bickering Zahid Hamidi and former premier Najib Razak to has only further frustrated the people, and as such, oust Mr Muhyiddin was simply too toxic. Malaysia’s leaders need to resolve their fickleness.”

32 AsianInsider January 2021 Still, some questions have been answered, or at combined with that of a senior Umno MP failed to least replaced by new ones. Mr Anwar simply needs sway the ruling elite. to wait for a general election to be held and, for now, And for those in Umno who decided to back Mr work at maintaining his position as the opposition’s Muhyiddin 10 months ago, Budget 2021’s passage prime ministerial candidate, in the face of a challenge indicates that they have to lie in the bed they have by former Sabah chief minister Shafie Apdal. made. Whether they like it or not, they are stuck with Former premier Mahathir, 95, continues to be this prime minister until an election can be called, a widely respected figure. But even his influence once the resurgent coronavirus pandemic is over.

Farmers protest a major challenge for Modi

Protesters holding a banner as they pay tribute to farmers who lost their lives of natural causes while participating in protests against the central government’s recent agricultural reforms, in Amritsar on Dec 20. PHOTO: AFP

WITH A CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC THAT HAS Highly suspicious of big corporations, they feel seen more than 10 million cases in India and a this is the first step towards dismantling a system NIRMALA tanking economy to deal with, Prime Minister where the government ensures a minimum price GANAPATHY Narendra Modi did not need a protracted protest by for their foodgrains. India Bureau Chief a powerful political constituency to add to his woes. Five rounds of talks between the government and Tens of thousands of farmers across the country farmers have failed. Those representing the farmers protested against new legislation that seeks to were also called in for a meeting with Home Minister reform the sale of agricultural produce. The protests Amit Shah. intensified with the calling for a nationwide strike. “Our demand is for all three farm laws to be Farmers sat on roads and rail tracks and held repealed and we want new legislation that guarantees rallies, amid support from opposition parties and a minimum support price for our produce,” said trade unions, in a peaceful protest to mount further Mr Abhimanyu Kohar, national coordinator of the pressure on the government to repeal three farm Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh, a group representing [email protected] laws passed in September. 180 farmers’ organisations. The laws are part of the Modi government’s reform “The farmers won’t leave (the protest sites) agenda aimed at facilitating greater private investment without their demands being met. They have come in agriculture, a sector that accounts for around 15 per with rations (of food) for six months.” cent of the country’s gross domestic product. In a country where 60 per cent of the population is But farmers, a majority of whom are small directly or indirectly tied to agriculture, the protest- landowners struggling to eke out a living, feel that ing farmers have gained sympathy across the board. their lot may worsen with the introduction of the Reports of farm leaders taking their own tea, farm laws. food and water into meetings with government

33 leaders have only added to the support for them. (CAA), which gives religion-based citizenship. But In a country Over 15 opposition parties, including Tamil Nadu’s farmers are a lobby group that no politician is keen Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, have pledged their to antagonise. where 60 per support as have trade unions from other sectors. “They (the government) didn’t want to hold cent of the For Mr Modi, the protests could not have come at talks on CAA. They shut the door. This is a much population a worse time. more inclusive agitation and it cuts across social is directly or India is the second-worst affected country by identities. This is a very serious challenge. The the coronavirus pandemic, after the United States. farm issue has become politically sensitive,” said indirectly tied Growth has also slowed. It hit a six-year low of journalist and writer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay. to agriculture, 4.7 per cent in the final quarter of last year and “In India, everybody has some connection to a the protesting contracted by 23.4 per cent in the first quarter of farmer. Everyone who is staying in urban areas will farmers this year, which in India runs from April to June, have family in the village. Sympathies of a large have gained due to a strict lockdown imposed in March. number of urbanites will be with farmers.” The lockdown brought economic activity to a The farmers’ issue has also caught international sympathy complete halt. Mr Modi’s government, otherwise attention, particularly due to the diaspora from the across the unwavering in its reform agenda, has offered to state of Punjab, whose farmers are leading the protests. board. amend the laws to defuse the situation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has The Prime Minister, who has been driving reform in spoken out in favour of the farmers’ protests, many sectors over the years, including rolling out the eliciting a sharp diplomatic response from the goods and services tax in 2017, appealed for support Indian government wary of any criticism of for change, noting it is necessary for development. domestic developments. “We cannot build the next century with the Protests in support of the Indian farmers have laws of the previous century,” said Mr Modi, who also taken place in Britain and Australia. has remained popular through the pandemic and “I think this is the first major challenge which economic troubles. the Modi government is facing both in terms of He has also weathered earlier protests including public response and unity of the opposition,” said those against the Citizenship Amendment Act political analyst Sandeep Shastri.

Thailand’s new generation political disruptors

CAN A POLITICAL SYSTEM BE CHANGED FROM roiling the country now. But Thailand’s young within? That’s the question gripping Thailand protesters have since progressed to making more TAN HUI YEE these days, amid near daily protests challenging fundamental demands: the resignation of former Indochina Bureau Chief the royalist military establishment helmed by King coup leader and current Prime Minister Prayut Maha Vajiralongkorn. Chan-o-cha, the amendment of the Constitution “We joke among ourselves, that if we cannot re- and monarchy reform. form the monarchy through Parliament, then we Future Forward’s former leader Thanathorn should have a revolution,” says Ms Chonthicha Jan- Juangroongruangkit, now banned from politics, grew, who, at the age of 27, counts herself as an “el- recently toured the country to help local politicians der” among the leaders driving the demonstrations. affiliated with his Progressive Movement campaign It is a joke that has become darker with the for the Dec 20 elections to fill seats in provincial avenues for political negotiation steadily closed administrative organisations (PAOs). [email protected] off and key youth leaders slapped with the dreaded Royalists think he is orchestrating the youth lese majeste charge that comes with a jail term of protests. They picketed at his campaign locations up to 15 years. to drive him out. Given the seismic developments since the 2019 Ms Chonthicha, who says she has amassed general election, it’s hard to tell where Thailand is over 20 police charges for her political advocacy, now heading. is amused that Mr Thanathorn is still keeping faith In their recently launched book, Future Forward: with Thailand’s electoral system. The Rise And Fall Of A Thai Political Party, political “Our movement has already gone far away from scientists Duncan McCargo and Anyarat Chattharakul Thanathorn and Piyabutr,” she tells me, referring chart the meteoric rise and dissolution of the new- to the party’s firebrand former secretary-general generation party that shook the very foundation of Piyabutr Saengkanokkul. Thai politics. Today, it reads like both a postscript and “They are here,” she says, tapping the coffee table star chart of what’s in store for Thailand. we share. “And we are already on the moon.” She It was Future Forward Party’s court-mandated ban waves her arm above her head. “We don’t care about in February that sparked the youth demonstrations the PAO election.”

34 AsianInsider January 2021 Such cynicism had been growing. For some two They are saying aloud decades prior, the kingdom was trapped in a colour- what merely months ago coded conflict that pitted the Bangkok-centred was unsayable, demand- “yellow” royalist, pro-military establishment against ing that King Vajiralong- “red” supporters of political parties linked to exiled korn be governed by the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Since Constitution like other 2006, the Constitutional Court has dissolved two Thais. With their pointed parties and thrown out three prime ministers in language about the palace the latter camp. and its expenses, they are Prime Minister Prayut tried to paper over this redefining what it means bitter divide after staging a 2014 coup. But the new to be radical. Constitution appeared exhaustively designed to Mainstream political counter the electoral might of big parties like the parties have been left in Thaksin-linked Pheu Thai. their wake. Lawmakers Then came Future Forward, led by activist tycoon have begun processes Thanathorn and legal scholar Piyabutr. Both under needed to amend the the age 40 when they launched the party in 2018, Constitution, but will they offered an alternative to voters sick of the not touch the monarchy red-yellow conflict. issue. Orange was its chosen shade. “For some, orange Having schooled them- was the new red. For others, orange was the new selves in subversion, Thai yellow,” write Dr McCargo and Dr Chattharakul. youth are unfazed by the “For others, the beauty of orange was precisely institutional hurdles they that it was neither red nor yellow. And for the know lie ahead. remainder, who didn’t care about red or yellow, The government’s orange was simply a bright new colour.” response is still unfold- Aided by the new and more proportionally ing. Both Mr Prayut and representative election system, Future Forward army chief Narongpan emerged after the election as the third-biggest Jitkaewthae have been party in Parliament, behind Pheu Thai and military- batting away talk of aligned Palang Pracharath. another coup – something Mr Thanathorn’s appeal among young voters and not out of the question in his stridently anti-military stance made him an a country that has seen 13 existential threat to the established powers. military takeovers since Future Forward’s dissolution convinced its 1932. supporters that the political system had become Protest leaders facing too rigged for meaningful participation – a theme charges of lese majeste constantly echoed in street protests now. have ramped up their Dr McCargo and Dr Chattharakul write that Future rhetoric on stage, making ST ILLUSTRATION: MIEL Forward was plagued by a “structural contradiction” a reconciliation panel mooted by Lower House from the start – was it “a political party, dedicated to Speaker Chuan Leekpai look pointless. transforming the system from within” or “a bunch At least two shooting incidents after recent of disruptors, trying not so much to improve the protests have stirred unease, as well as sightings system as to bring it crashing down”? With the of men in military-style buzz cuts dressed in casual party banned and Mr Thanathorn and Dr Piyabutr clothes being transported to protest sites. focusing their energy on the Progressive Movement, King Vajiralongkorn, 68, has not addressed the they could “get on with their real project: political protesters’ demands except to say “we love them all agitation and intellectual sabotage”, the authors add. the same” and “Thailand is the land of compromise”. In an interview two years ago, Mr Thanathorn He has instead spent time close up with royalists similarly gave me the impression he was more keen who do not find it appropriate to question his on changing mindsets than winning seats. He talked estimated wealth of more than US$40 billion (S$54 about a “war of ideas” that could take “decades”. billion) and his control of two army units. “ “Coup d’etats do not happen in isolation. They All things considered, Ms Chonthicha knows it are intertwined with other social forces, particularly will take a while for Thai people to reach a consensus conservative forces,” he said then. “In order to stop on the monarchy’s role. But change, she says, is the military coup d’etat you also have to confront really only a matter of time. conservative cultures in Thailand.” “The young people who want to reform the The seed of political disruption planted by Future monarchy, in the next few years, they are going to Forward has now taken on a life of its own. be adults who run this country,” she says. “They are While Mr Thanathorn remains popular, he has going to teach their children their values.” been upstaged by high school students half his age One can only hope that Thailand’s youth uprising denouncing the old-style backroom deals that they will nudge it along the path of evolution, rather claim are robbing them of their future. than trigger a violent eruption.

35 Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (right) greeting his new Minister of Tourism Jokowi replaces 6 ministers to help and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno shortly after a swearing-in ceremony at the virus-hit Indonesia recover Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia on Dec 23. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Incoming health minister, a former banker, says inclusive approach needed to revive LINDA YULISMAN economy which is in recession Indonesia Correspondent PRESIDENT JOKO WIDODO REPLACED SIX ministers in a Cabinet reshuffle aimed at helping Indonesia recover from the coronavirus pandemic, which has plunged the country into its first recession since the 1998 financial crisis. A former banker, Mr Budi Gunadi Sadikin is known Mr Budi Gunadi Sadikin, a deputy state-owned to possess strong management skills, which may be enterprises minister who also leads the national valuable when dealing with such issues as distribution of healthcare resources. PHOTO: REUTERS [email protected] economic recovery task force, has been named the new health minister to replace Dr Terawan Agus Putranto. Mr Sandiaga Uno, a former Jakarta vice-governor who contested the presidential election as a running The trade minister has also been replaced with mate to Mr Joko’s rival, Mr , has Mr Muhammad Lutfi, the current Ambassador to been appointed tourism and creative economy the United States. WAHYUDI minister, replacing Mr Wishnutama Kusubandio. The Cabinet comprises 34 ministers, excluding SOERIAATMADJA Mr Joko has also replaced two ministers arrested Mr Joko and Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin. Indonesia for alleged fraud: Mr Sakti Wahyu Trenggono has Mr Joko had threatened a ministerial shake-up as Correspondent been appointed maritime affairs and fisheries early as June, when he reprimanded his ministers for minister to replace Edhy Prabowo. And Surabaya their lacklustre handling of the Covid-19 pandemic Mayor Tri Rismaharini will be the new social affairs in Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populous minister, replacing Juliari Batubara. nation of 270 million. The new religious affairs minister is Mr Yaqut Incoming Health Minister Budi is expected to Cholil Qoumas, leader of the Ansor youth wing chart a new course of action and commitments of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s biggest Muslim to mitigate the health and economic impacts of [email protected] organisation, and also a Member of Parliament. Covid-19 in South-east Asia’s largest economy.

36 AsianInsider January 2021 Cleaned up Khao San Road also features The cleaned-up and shiny bollards that can be removed revitalised Ong Ang whenever the area is turned into a canal in Bangkok. pedestrian mall. ST PHOTO: TAN HUI YEE ST PHOTO: TAN HUI YEE South-east Asia watch Bangkok cleans up its act

Thai capital is transforming by the Bay,” he noted. “We want to create a tourist TAN HUI YEE attraction like that.” Indochina Bureau Chief into a city that is cleaner, Mr Stuart McDonald, co–founder of Travelfish, a greener and more walkable South–east Asia travel planning website, still recalls his first experience of the city. “I first arrived in Bangkok in 1993, flying in from FEW IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD CONSIDER Kathmandu, Nepal. I walked out of Don Mueang kayaking down a Bangkok canal for fun, but that is (airport), into air as thick as butter and every single exactly what some people have been doing lately. person had a motorbike. That evening, around Phra Ong Ang canal, near the Chao Phraya river, has Athit, near Khao San Road, I ate delicious food off been transformed from a fetid channel covered by the street. [email protected] a toy and electronics market to a jade–coloured “The vibe was amazing – it was love at first sight waterway lined with wide pavements and street and bite,” he told ST. “The city was grubbier then, art. From Fridays to Sundays, Ong Ang's banks host but it felt more real and lived in.” an evening flea market with buskers serenading That grubbiness is fast disappearing. Fresh flower the crowd. vendors in the famous Pak Khlong market, who used The kayaks are free for anyone to use, said Mr to spill onto the sidewalks with their scented wares, Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesman for the Bangkok have since been moved indoors. Metropolitan Administration. Khao San Road, the backpacker hub, now sports “People in Bangkok think canal water is dirty, smooth new footpaths level with the street and shiny and they cannot touch it,” he told The Straits Times. bollards that can be removed whenever the area is “But we have tested the water here and it's very turned into a pedestrian mall. clean.” It is hard to tell how popular the changes are “It used to be It is all part of a wider evolution that has seen since most tourists are still shut out by Thailand's really messy and the city of more than 10 million residents gradually entry ban to curb the Covid–19 pandemic. But Mr become cleaner, greener and more walkable, partly McDonald thinks some of the revamps like the one crowded. Now because mass transit options have improved. in Pak Khlong are ill–considered. it's beautiful and Bangkok's steadily growing skytrain and subway “There is clean and there is sterile. Their character, relaxing. I think network can now deposit visitors right in the heart people, life and energy are being sucked out. For I'll come again.” of Yaowarat – its Chinatown – or as far away as the what? To create a contrived and tacky Instagram Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan province. background,” he said. The city has an average of 7 sq m of green space Local resident Sumrit Paitayatat is not complaining. per person, and wants to raise it to 8 sq m, said Mr On a cool Friday evening, he was strolling along Ong Local resident Pongsakorn. Ang canal with his wife and two–year–old son. SUMRIT PAITAYATAT “When you go to London, you think of Hyde Park. “It used to be really messy and crowded. Now it's When you go to New York, you think of Central Park. beautiful and relaxing,” said the 49–year–old engineer. When you go to Singapore, you think of Gardens “I think I'll come again.”

37 WUHAN

A man promotes real estate at a street market almost a year after the ONE YEAR ON global outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Wuhan. PHOTO: REUTERS Special Feature A city of resilience, scars

Life appears to be back to prompting the city to order mass testing for all 11 ELIZABETH LAW million residents. China Correspondent normal in Wuhan, a year after Since then, the worry has been intermittent, with the coronavirus first surfaced. traces of the coronavirus showing up on imported frozen food, and as cases continue to surface in pockets But a closer look shows up in cities such as Tianjin and Chengdu. scars left by the pandemic. Mask-wearing and disinfection have become a part of daily life, along with the use of “health codes”, con- tact-tracing applets that are hosted on the ubiquitous NEARLY A YEAR AFTER A MYSTERIOUS PNEUMONIA WeChat and Alipay platforms. appeared in a Wuhan seafood market, life has largely But while the worst appears to be over, the ex- [email protected] returned to normal in the central Chinese city, even perience of the lockdown, of not knowing when it as the rest of the world battles the deadly pandemic. would end, or what tomorrow would bring, still haunts But beneath the veneer of normalcy, scars remain: Wuhan resident Zhang Yingyue. in the masks that have become commonplace, the She had come back from Singapore to visit her par- use of “health codes” to enter places, and the missing ents for the Chinese New Year holidays, and could not family members around dining tables. leave for close to five months because of the lockdown The economy, having staged a remarkable and international travel restrictions. comeback earlier in the year, is now struggling to Ms Zhang, 46, lost her job as an administrator in keep up the momentum. Singapore and now works as a housekeeper in Wuhan. Over 86,000 And nearly 12 months on, questions about the “We don’t talk about it openly because us Wuhan people in the virus’ origin and its spread still remain unanswered. people are stubborn but the fear is there, especially country have now that it’s winter again,” she said. FEAR OF ANOTHER WAVE In China’s battle against the coronavirus, Wuhan contracted the In late January, after realising the scale of the bore the brunt. Over 86,000 people in the country illness, of whom outbreak, Wuhan went into an emergency lockdown have contracted the illness, of whom 50,300 were in 50,300 were that dragged on for 76 days. No one was allowed to Wuhan. A bulk of virus-related deaths – 3,869 out of in Wuhan. leave home, let alone the city, as schools, factories 4,755 – were in the city. and shops were ordered to shut. And it is still ravaging the city. Research has shown After it was lifted on April 8, fears of a second wave that disasters such as epidemics, which can quickly arose when a cluster of cases was reported in May, overwhelm communities and cripple their ability to

38 AsianInsider January 2021 respond, can leave long-lasting mental health impacts A public service on both front-line workers and survivors. announcement poster in Wuhan telling people Counsellors at the Hubei Province Counsellors not to go out unless Association, who set up a wellness hotline as soon absolutely necessary. as the lockdown started, said post-traumatic stress PHOTO: M ISHIKAWA FOR disorder is likely to manifest in various ways in the THE STRAITS TIMES coming months and years. Wuhan residents queuing The city, too, appears to have been shocked out for a Covid-19 test at of complacency: In early January, when The Straits the outdoor facility of the Wuhan Union Red Times first visited Wuhan, residents interviewed had Cross Hospital in the city dismissed reports of the “mysterious pneumonia”, centre. PHOTO: M ISHIKAWA saying it was a seasonal flu. Those wearing masks FOR THE STRAITS TIMES were scoffed at for being paranoid. By April, even as the lockdown had been lifted, people barely batted an eyelid at pedestrians dressed in white full-body protective suits. When ST visited again in November, masks were still commonly seen – albeit improperly worn – while resorting to putting trash bags over their clothing hand sanitiser, disinfectant and thermometers were when they ran out of protective suits. a common sight in shops, restaurants and even taxis. In February, the Chinese authorities reported that at Careful drivers even spritz disinfectant on change least 3,300 medical workers had been infected, most of and receipts from toll booths, one of the few places them in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital. where cash is still commonly used. It highlighted the strain that the healthcare sys- EARLY MISSTEPS tem was under, and the acute lack of resources. These problems prompted the central government to send Across the city, there is acceptance of the fact that 42,000 reinforcement medics from across the country it was here that the virus first spread widely. and the military to the province. “We can’t escape that reputation, even though the source of the virus is still a mystery,” said busi- SLUGGISH ECONOMY Read more nessman Weng Maowei, 60, who has lived here for On paper, Wuhan appears to have bounced back in a nearly two decades. Where there is little consensus big way: The economy contracted 10 per cent in the online is how the virus came about. first three quarters of the year, a sterling comeback Many believe it originated elsewhere. Some are from the 40.5 per cent plunge in the first quarter, adamant it came through foreign soldiers attending when factories were shut and all construction military games in October last year, while others projects halted. believe it escaped from a Chinese lab. In a bid to drive up domestic consumption, the But even though the origins of the virus are murky, government has also given out consumption vouchers people agree on one thing – that the government encouraging residents to support the local economy. bungled its early response to the outbreak. But business owners say the effects have been Wuhan market One of the earliest cases, seafood merchant Wei short-lived. After a spike in sales in July and August, Guixian, started to feel sick on Dec 10 and was treat- around the time the vouchers were handed out, sales where Covid-19 ed at a local clinic before she went back to work at have started to taper off. outbreak started the Huanan market. Eight days later, she was barely Restaurant owner Wang Jing, 66, who runs a Can- now walled off conscious in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. tonese eatery in the heart of the city, said she struggles By Dec 31, doctors in Wuhan knew they had a new to fill even half her restaurant on weekends. https://str.sg/JaGh coronavirus on their hands, but the fact that it was The main clientele for Madam Wang’s restaurant are spreading between humans was not made known business travellers, who have not returned to China to the public for another two weeks. in any meaningful way. And it was not until Jan 19 that Beijing dispatched But at the Wuhan No. 18 Brewery, which has one epidemiologists to investigate the outbreak. By then, of its five gastropubs in the Guanggu mall, business nearly 200 people had fallen ill and two had died. has started to pick up after a rough few months. Dr Zhong Nanshan, who headed China’s Cov- When the lockdown was first lifted and eateries id-19 response task force, said later that had action were allowed to serve only takeout orders, Wuhan No. been taken in December or even early January, “the 18’s takings dwindled to just 3 per cent of its usual number of sick would have been greatly reduced”. amount, said owner Wang Fan, 36. His business would have folded during the out- Life in Wuhan OVERWHELMED SYSTEM break if not for the support of other bar owners who almost back By end-January, Wuhan’s hospitals were held promotional events to support the brewery. to normal, but overwhelmed, with front-line medical staff often But as the curbs eased, customers returned. “I think working double shifts. Protective gear was also in no matter what happens, the people of Wuhan still do scars still visible short supply, with some reusing masks and even like coming out to spend money,. Mr Wang said. https://str.sg/Jenu

39 Business Trends Reviving travel through a bubble

An artist’s impression of Connect@ Changi. PHOTO: CONNECT@ CHANGI Workers constructing guest rooms at Connect@Changi. PHOTO: REUTERS

also allow (business) travellers from elsewhere to Singapore to pilot meet one another.” CLEMENT YONG Regular Covid-19 testing will be conducted Correspondent quarantine-free throughout the duration of their stay – for instance, on alternate days – in addition to tests before departure from their home countries and upon business travel arrival here. They will also have to move within the facility in Short-term travellers will have their pre-declared travel group of up to five people to reduce the risk of mass transmission. to stay, work and meet at The segregated travel lane is distinct from dedicated facilities here existing reciprocal green lane arrangements, which [email protected] apply only to selected countries but allow those on SHORT-TERM BUSINESS TRAVELLERS FROM ALL essential business here to move around Singapore countries will be able to stay, work and meet at more freely. Analysts, dedicated facilities here from mid-January, without The new scheme is expected to increase traffic at the need for prior quarantine, as efforts get under Changi Airport, where about 15 per cent of travellers however, said way to draw them back to Singapore. pre-Covid-19 entered the country for business- the move Those who opt to use the arrangement – likely the related reasons. has a larger first of its kind in the world – will be transported from It should also have knock-on effects on the symbolic effect the airport to large dedicated facilities equipped with hospitality sector, which could cater food and provide self-service food and beverage options and gym pods. accommodation for the travellers once they are and will boost There, they can have meetings through floor-to- given approval, although restrictions in travellers’ confidence in ceiling air-tight glass panels with local businessmen movements mean the impact could be limited. Singapore’s and businessmen from other countries, with safe Analysts, however, said the move has a larger status as a distancing measures in place. symbolic effect and will boost confidence in “Global business travel has been severely affected Singapore’s status as a business hub, especially business hub, by the need for quarantine measures... Different with the World Economic Forum set to take place especially countries will continue to have different risk here next year. with the World profiles, and we should not let this hinder business CIMB Private Banking economist Song Seng Wun Economic Forum meetings,” Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun said: “We have fallen a long way from our peak, Sing said while on a tour of Connect@Changi, one so these calculated steps to ease restrictions all set to take place of the facilities that will be used to house travellers go towards helping as many people as possible to here next year. in the segregated travel lane. claw back some business. The more we can reassure “Dedicated facilities can allow Singaporeans to business travellers, the better.” meet (business) travellers from elsewhere. They can Based on patterns established in 2019, roughly

40 AsianInsider January 2021 nine in 10 of business travellers to Singapore stayed Connect@Changi is a four-star facility currently in the country for five days or fewer, hinting at the being built at Singapore Expo and Max Atria, about demand for such expedited, business-specific travel a five-minute drive from Changi Airport. arrangements. The Ministry of Trade and Industry will study the Many of these travellers are currently not covered demand for the segregated travel lane to assess the by reciprocal green lane arrangements and have to number of dedicated facilities needed, and could undergo quarantine before they can meet their local broaden the use of the lane for medical or family- partners face to face. visiting uses.

Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble delayed

THE LAUNCH OF THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED TRAVEL Singapore and Hong Kong had previously agreed bubble to facilitate leisure travel between Singapore that the travel bubble arrangement would be and Hong Kong has been further delayed amid a suspended if the number exceeded five in either city. rising number of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong. The bubble would have allowed travellers to fly The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore between the cities with no restrictions on (CAAS) has said that both cities have the purpose of travel. Travellers would decided to defer the start of the air have to take Covid-19 tests instead of travel bubble to beyond December, serving quarantine. as the number of local unlinked The first air travel bubble flight cases in Hong Kong is still high. was originally planned for Nov 22, The exact start date of the ar- but both governments announced rangement was due to be reviewed on Nov 21 that it would be at the time of going to press. delayed. The move follows harsher so- Ms Alicia Seah, director of pub- cial distancing measures to curb lic relations and communications what the Hong Kong health author- at Dynasty Travel, said the agency ities warned could be the city’s worst had received several bookings for tour Covid-19 wave so far. packages to Hong Kong for the mid-De- The city has been recording more than cember to Christmas period. 70 new daily Covid-19 infections for over a week While acknowledging that the delay is unfortunate, in early December. As at Dec 28, its total tally had she added: “It’s really (about) putting the health and crossed 8,600 cases, including 136 deaths. Singapore safety of travellers as the top priority. has recorded more than 58,000 cases. – Toh Ting Wei and Claire Huang

fight the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic S’pore, Vietnam plan by resuming air connectivity and maintaining supply chain links. to launch green lane They also co-chaired the 13th Singapore-Vietnam Bilateral Consultations via video conference on the A woman shopping inside by early this year same day, where both sides affirmed mutual support a clothing store in Hanoi. rendered during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as Singapore will be among the first few countries VIETNAM AND SINGAPORE ARE PLANNING TO facilitating the return of nationals residing in both territories, and the mutual contribution of supplies that Vietnam will resume launch a green lane for business and official travel regularised essential by the start of this year. and equipment. – Ang Qing business and official Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Permanent travel. PHOTO: AFP Secretary Chee Wee Kiong and Vietnam’s Vice- Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung agreed to conclude ongoing discussions on the green lane arrangement and restore regular commercial return flights between the two countries, MFA said in a statement, in December. Singapore will be among the first few countries that Vietnam will resume regularised essential business and official travel. Both parties agreed to enhance cooperation to

41 A nearly deserted Causeway across the Singapore-Malaysia border on Aug 21 after travel curbs were introduced in March. PHOTO: MARK CHEONG Experts urge caution as Malaysia eyes travel bubbles

HAZLIN HASSAN MALAYSIA’S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT IT IS arrivals between January and September, against Malaysia Correspondent exploring travel bubbles with other countries to the corresponding period in 2019. revive the tourism industry has drawn cautious According to Tourism Malaysia, Singapore was optimism from experts, who say the government the country’s top source of tourists in 2019, with first needs to bring down coronavirus infections, Indonesia second, and China third. which have recently been rising by close to 2,000 Currently, the foreigners allowed to enter the new cases daily. country are mostly spouses or children of citizens, “We need to work harder to bring the number permanent residents, and long-term pass holders. down to a manageable level first. This is to ensure Malaysia reopened its border with Singapore for that the ‘bubble’ will not deflate soon after its essential travel on Aug 17, but with restrictions. implementation,” Professor Sazaly Abu Bakar, In August, Singapore allowed Malaysians with [email protected] director of the Tropical Infectious Diseases Research Singapore work passes to serve a seven-day stay- and Education Centre at Universiti Malaya, told home notice (SHN) at their own residence as The Straits Times. Covid-19 prevalence rates in Malaysia were similar Professor Awang Bulgiba Awang Mahmud, an to Singapore’s at the time. epidemiologist at Universiti Malaya, said the factors But from Nov 22, following a spike in Malaysia’s that must be carefully considered include economic Covid-19 numbers, anyone entering Singapore with benefits, feasibility of such travel bubbles, health a travel history to Malaysia in the previous 14 days risks and plans to mitigate risks. The number of is now required to complete a 14-day SHN at a new cases in the countries concerned also had to dedicated facility, and undergo a swab test. be taken into account, as well as the number of new Malaysia, on its part, has shortened its quarantine daily infections per capita, tests per capita, positivity period for incoming travellers to 10 days from 14 days. rate, severity of infection in those countries, and Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri rate of increase or decrease in cases. does not deny that there are hurdles in the bubble “Malaysia and whatever country it is negotiating plan: “With many countries previously designated as with will need to agree on criteria for a reasonably green zones having experienced resurgences of the safe environment before such a travel bubble can virus, it remains challenging to kick-start general be agreed on,” Datuk Dr Awang Bulgiba said. tourism and country-to-country travel,” Datuk Seri “One needs to remember that the pandemic Nancy told ST. situation can take a turn for the worse quickly in But Malaysia is continuing to pursue “extensive countries... So such a travel bubble needs to take discussions” at regional and international levels that possibility into account and take appropriate “for when the situation surrounding Covid-19 gets measures to ameliorate the situation.” better and when countries are ready to receive Senior Minister in charge of Security Ismail Sabri international leisure travellers in the future”. said on Dec 12 that the nation’s borders cannot The activities the ministry is exploring for visitors remain closed for too long and that “Covid-19 will include golfing, diving, bird watching, hiking and always be around us, like dengue”. caving, with pre-planned itineraries through Malaysia suffered a 78.6 per cent drop in tourist registered travel operators.

42 AsianInsider January 2021 Lunch with Sumiko Mr Tang during his virtual meeting with ST Executive Editor Sumiko Tan. Singapore’s IP Man in Geneva ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Lawyer Daren Tang made Wipo is one of the United Nations’ 15 specialised SUMIKO TAN agencies. Others include the World Health Executive Editor history when he became the Organisation and International Civil Aviation first Singaporean to head Organisation. The agency currently has 193 member states, a United Nations agency. including the United States and China. Among other things, it ensures the protection of IP and also the The director-general of the use of IP to support innovation and creativity to World Intellectual Property benefit the world. Prior to this, Mr Tang was chief executive of the Organisation tells Executive Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos), a Editor Sumiko Tan what’s on statutory board which helps innovators use IP to [email protected] take their ideas to market. his to-do list. In that role, Mr Tang had served on a committee at Wipo. With Australian lawyer Francis Gurry WHEN DAREN TANG WAS PACKING TO MOVE retiring as Wipo director-general this year, Singapore from Singapore to Switzerland for his new job nominated Mr Tang for the top job. posting, he decided to ship his trusted Yamaha This was approved by Wipo’s general assembly in piano along as well. a closely watched race. Other countries, including Music – in particular, jazz – is a big love for the China, had also offered candidates. lawyer who made history when he became the first We’re meeting virtually in late November. The Singaporean to head a United Nations agency. time difference means he will be having lunch while Another passion, not quite as lyrical, but with a I will be eating dinner. connection to music, is intellectual property (IP). His people have arranged for him to do a Zoom call In October, Mr Tang took up the position of from Wipo’s impressive studio, complete with three director-general of the World Intellectual Property camera angles and a virtual backdrop showing a sunny Organisation (Wipo), which is headquartered in Alpine scene of mountains and lake. I’m told it’s a Geneva. photograph of what he sees from his office window.

43 the food and beverage industry. Mr Tang says he’s grateful for his multicultural heritage. “My dad’s side, they enjoy life, and from my mum’s side, I got the discipline and the commitment to studying and all that. So it’s the best of both worlds.” Another advantage of his background is how he grew up with lots of good food from both sides of the family. One of the things he and his wellness consultant wife made sure to take along to Geneva was ikan bilis for making soup, and another was chicken powder for use in stir-frying. He has three children – daughters aged 20 and 10, and an 18-year-old son. He studied at Henry Park Primary, then Raffles Institution, where he was in the scouts, and Raffles Junior College. He was always interested in music and had piano lessons, although he found music much more enjoyable without a teacher and exams. Executive Editor Sumiko Jazz has been a large part of his life, and he helped Tan speaking with lawyer I’m calling in from The Straits Times’ recreation start the NUS Jazz Band when he was studying law Daren Tang, director- general of the World room in our much less picturesque newsroom in at the National University of Singapore. Intellectual Property Toa Payoh. He’s also a founding member of the Thomson Jazz Organisation in November. He appears on screen at our arranged time and Club and Thomson Jazz Band. “I don’t think I studied ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR settles into the studio chair. You have a nice view very much in law school,” he says with a chuckle. from your office, I remark. A law schoolmate remembers him in the faculty “But today it’s not sunny and brilliant like that,” band. “In between Madonna’s Like A Virgin and he laughs, referring to the virtual backdrop. “Today is Material Girl, he would quietly run through bits cloudy and foggy. The temperature is about 5 deg C.” of jazz standards. I never quite found out if he was Over the computer screen 10,482km away, the amusing or consoling himself. But there he was, a 48-year-old is amiable – “call me Daren” – and has gifted jazz pianist playing rock and metal at boozy the careful, courteous manner one often sees in a faculty jam and hops.” diplomat. The schoolmate also remembers Mr Tang’s dry He’s having cream of pumpkin soup. It’s what and laconic sense of humour “plus a first-class poker he normally has over there – “it’s convenient and face, so you can never quite tell when he is pulling I don’t talk it keeps me warm”. To add a Swiss touch, there’s a your leg”. about patents, plate of Swiss chocolates. “He’ll be going on about something very serious, I talk about I’ve decided to go Swiss myself with a fondue. like the Peloponnesian War, in that very serious way technology. I I’d gone to Carousell to buy a mini fondue set. It’s of his and everybody will be listening intently. And filled with a gruyere cheese dip I made, and I’ve just when everyone is completely hooked, he will don’t talk about also prepared a plate of bread, vegetables and fruit. suddenly start guffawing. That’s when you realise trademarks, “Bon appetit,” he says. you’ve just been pranked by Daren.” I talk about At NUS, he did constitutional law and brands. I don’t GO WITH THE FLOW international law – not IP law – and thought he His Wipo role wasn’t something he had foreseen. would enter private practice. talk about “I don’t try to structure my life in a very planned In his third year, he went on an exchange industrial way,” he says. programme at McGill University in Montreal for a designs, I talk He has a go-with-the-flow attitude, and this has year. He had an amazing time there, but when he about design given him space to enjoy different experiences. returned to his final year, all the pupillage places and packaging. What he has discovered is that “later on in life, at law firms had been given out. all those past experiences will enrich you and put “I didn’t really have that many choices left. So I you in a position where you can do your current thought, why not join the Government? It’s going work in the best possible way”. to be an interesting experience.” He grew up in a four-room flat in Commonwealth He joined the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Avenue West. was a deputy public prosecutor for a while, then His father, now 74, is Eurasian-Peranakan. He transferred to the international affairs division, was a businessman and ran a dental studio that where he later became senior state counsel. made dentures, and is now a tour guide. He was posted to the Ministry of Trade and His housewife mother, who died 18 years ago, Industry to help negotiate the US-Singapore Free was Cantonese, and he has a younger brother in Trade Agreement (FTA), and was also part of the legal

44 AsianInsider January 2021 team which argued Singapore’s case in the dispute Singapore, he says, does well in world rankings with Malaysia over the sovereignty of Pedra Branca. on IP systems. “We are regarded highly for the Working with experienced diplomats and civil development of our IP systems, so we are seen as servants gave him a “broader, more holistic view being technically competent in this area.” of the law”, he says. Singapore is also viewed as a very neutral party The experiences also taught him about diplomacy, that is a bridge builder between different countries. managing relationships and understanding The Republic’s multi-ethnic background – and Mr Daren Tang started geopolitics – all of which have come in useful. his own – allows him to connect to different parts his six-year term as In 2012, he moved to Ipos as deputy chief of the world too. director-general of the World Intellectual executive. “That started my arranged marriage Property Organisation with IP, but I’ve gone on to fall in love with it quite ANY DOWNSIDES? (Wipo) in October. deeply”, is how he puts it. He became chief executive “Singaporeans sometimes think that the technical PHOTO: WORLD in 2015. solution is the only facet of a problem, and that INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANISATION once you arrive at a good technical solution, the CREATING JOBS problem can get solved,” he offers. Mr Tang will be the first to agree that IP is not a topic “We tend to forget that the relational aspects people find exciting. Most see it in legal technical are very important. We tend to downplay the terms, like trademarks, copyright and patents. political parts of it. That, I think, needs to be “But when you see it in its broader context, adjusted.” when you see how it impacts our lives, it suddenly His background in international work, becomes alive,” he says. however, has taught him the requirements He declares, with feeling: “I don’t talk about needed of a leader operating on the world patents, I talk about technology. I don’t talk about stage. trademarks, I talk about brands. I don’t talk about Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh industrial designs, I talk about design and packaging. says Mr Tang was an “outstanding I don’t talk about copyright, I talk about content.” colleague” when they worked IP creates jobs, drives enterprise growth and on Pedra Branca and the US- spurs economic development. He points out how Singapore FTA. Singapore household names like Ya Kun Kaya Toast “He is a good lawyer, a have been able to make it overseas because they are good diplomat, a good team protected by trademark. player and a conciliator. I am He refers to how Singapore’s ST Engineering came confident that he would be up with the Air+ Smart mask, which has a unique a very successful director- microventilator. IP allows the invention to be sold general of Wipo and bring globally and protected from being copied. great credit to Singapore,” The coronavirus pandemic has also amplified Professor Koh tells me when the relevance of IP. I ask for a quote. The German company BioNTech, which worked Mr Tang and I wrap up the with Pfizer to push out a Covid-19 vaccine, has meal and he heads for more filed close to 70 patents using Wipo’s and other meetings. His days have systems, he says. been packed since In recent years, Asia has become a big driver of he arrived and, IP, and not just North-east Asia but also South-east no, he hasn’t had and South Asia, like in Vietnam and India. Six out time to play his of 10 IP filings with Wipo now come from Asia, piano. compared with four out of 10, 20 years ago. We aren’t “You see more and more countries looking at able to take a innovation as a way of driving economic growth.” portrait of him, His term at Wipo, which has 1,500 employees so his office gets and a biennial budget of about $1 billion, is for a photo done and six years. e-mails it to me. It comes at a time of continuing US-China I couldn’t tell from our Zoom tensions. The pandemic and race to develop vaccines call, but beneath his suit he and treatments have also resurfaced issues like has on cheeky, multicoloured pharmaceutical monopolies, IP protection and wider socks. public access to medicine. I write to thank him for the photo and I ask what’s on his to-do list. He has many and ask: Are colourful socks a trademark? lists them all, but high up there is to help innovators “Hahaha,” comes his e-mail reply. “It and creators take their ideas to market. wasn’t deliberate, but a bit of flair does What does being a Singaporean bring to his UN no harm at all in an agency that supports role? innovators and creators!”

45 People in the news Indonesia’s new dynasty in the making?

With President Joko ’Jokowi’ Widodo’s son and son-in-law set for a bigger role in politics, after their win in recent regional elections, speculation has been gaining momentum of a new chapter in dynasty politics in the country. Here’s a look at the two of them:

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of Indonesia’s ordinary people. He has done this consistently for President Joko Widodo, more than a year... it’s not pencitraan, it’s more than riding a bicycle to meet Son of Indonesian supporters after declaring that,” campaign volunteer Guntur Wahyu Nugroho, victory in the mayoral President Joko has 42, told The Straits Times. election in Solo on Dec 9. “Pencitraan” in Bahasa Indonesia means “building PHOTO: AFP a good image”, but in Indonesian politics, it is often big shoes to fill as used to describe pretentious politicians seeking praise. To him, Mr Gibran is determined, committed to Solo mayor his causes, and enthusiastic to learn new things, including politics which he had shown little interest WITH HIS QUIET DEMEANOUR AND TERSE in until about a year ago. LINDA YULISMAN public remarks, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka often This gave rise to speculation that President Joko, appears cold and aloof, but to the residents of Solo popularly known as Jokowi, wanted to build a po- Indonesia city in Central Java, their mayor-to-be is nowhere litical dynasty, rumours vehemently denied by Mr Correspondent near stand-offish. Gibran as he struggled to step out from the shadow The 33-year-old, who is President Joko Widodo’s of his father. son, listens to their complaints, from choked drains “I am taking part in the race and I can win or lose. to leaky roofs. People can vote for me or not and there’s no obliga- No job seems too small or dirty – he once helped tion to choose me. It is a contest, not appointment,” clean a filthy canal in a neighbourhood during an he said in July. impromptu visit. So far, Mr Gibran has at least eight businesses to The hands-on management style that he learnt his name, amassing a tidy fortune totalling 21.15 [email protected] from his father – who was the city’s mayor from billion rupiah (over S$2 million). But like his father, 2005 to 2012 − has certainly worked its charms on he lives modestly. He often flew on economy class residents, who overwhelmingly voted for him in the to domestic and overseas destinations and without Dec 9 regional elections. security guards. “As the son of the president, he leads a privileged He is married to Solo beauty queen Selvi Ananda life. Yet, he’s still willing to go to the ground and meet and they have two children.

46 AsianInsider January 2021 Japan PM Suga under fire for year-end dinners as coronavirus cases mount

JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER Yoshihide Suga has drawn criticism for Mr Bobby Nasution, President Joko Widodo’s son in law, casting his vote during regional joining end-of-year social gatherings elections at a polling station in , North after imploring residents to avoid such Sumatra, Indonesia on Dec 9. PHOTO: EPA-EFE parties as the country sees record numbers of coronavirus cases. Despite his own public warnings against large group meals, Mr Suga went Medan’s new mayor ahead with a series of get-togethers in December, stirring up criticism from Bobby Nasution used politicians and social media users, in- cluding his party’s coalition partner. to the limelight Government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said the Prime Minister had taken necessary precautions for the gatherings. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s Mr Suga had joined six others in- outings have stirred up criticism from politicians and social-media users. PHOTO: REUTERS ARLINA ARSHAD cluding senior officials at the ruling Regional Correspondent party who gathered at a high-end steak restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district. All local media reported. of them are over 70. Mr Suga’s outings came after the gov- [email protected] A day later, Mr Suga met Har- ernment abruptly halted a government uyuki Takahashi, an executive of the travel subsidy programme he had long SMART, HUMOROUS AND FIRM. THESE TRAITS Tokyo Games organising committee, defended, the latest wrangle to over- stand out for people who have come to know Mr Bobby and two executives from a local TV shadow his first months in power. Nasution, the son-in-law of President Joko Widodo, network at another steak restaurant, — Reuters who is set to be the new mayor of Medan, the pro- vincial capital of North Sumatra. Campaign team member Indra Gunawan, 47, who has known Mr Bobby, also called Muhammad Afif, for a year, said he was quick in understanding issues and Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy swift in making decisions. “He doesn’t fritter money unnecessarily. He is able to lighten up a tense situation with jokes but his jokes Lai freed on bail, Apple Daily says are not slapstick. He is also direct when pointing out mistakes,” he told The Straits Times. HONG KONG MEDIA TYCOON AND Mr Lai was charged earlier with Despite being a political novice, the 29-year-old Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai has colluding with foreign forces under Mr Bobby received the backing of some of the big- been granted bail by Hong Kong’s High the city’s new national security law. gest political parties, including Mr Joko’s Indonesian Court, local media including the Apple He is the owner of the pro-democracy Democratic Party of Struggle. Daily newspaper reported. Apple Daily. He and his deputy, Gerindra Party’s Aulia Rahman, Mr Lai was released on HK$10 million won against incumbent Akhyar Nasution and depu- Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai being (S$1.7 million) bail, Apple Daily said. ty candidate Salman Alfarisi by about 10 percentage escorted to the West Kowloon Magistrates’ He must also hand over his travel Courts in Hong Kong on Dec 12. documents and is forbidden from tak- points, according to unofficial tallies. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG Mr Bobby married the president’s only daughter, ing meetings with foreign politicians, giving any interviews and posting and Kahiyang Ayu, 29, in November 2017. commenting on social media, the pa- The youngest of three children of a former direc- per reported. tor of a state-owned plantation firm, Mr Bobby has a He will be confined to his home and master’s degree in business management from Bogor be required to report to police three Agricultural University, outside Jakarta. That was also times a week under the bail terms, where he met his wife, a fellow student. according to Apple Daily. One advantage Mr Bobby has as a politician is that Hong Kong’s Department of Justice he is no stranger to the limelight. Often smiling, he has is appealing against the court’s deci- been a guest on several local TV shows where he would sion, Apple Daily’s report said. launch into song and freely share his love story. — Bloomberg

47 Biryani Depot’s cloud kitchen in Pune, which Letter from New Delhi accounts for over 3,500 briyani servings every month, offers mutton briyani (above) among Briyani delivery in India several options on its menu. PHOTO: BIRYANI DEPOT is recipe for success

DEBARSHI The tasty and popular DASGUPTA India Correspondent one-pot dish can be assembled quickly in cloud kitchens and is ideal for home delivery amid Covid-19 curbs. A BRIYANI WORTH SAVOURING IS A DAUNTING labour of love that can stretch over hours. But I am told I will have to wait no longer than 35 minutes [email protected] for my order of Lucknowi chicken briyani. I am at a Biryani By Kilo (BBK) kitchen in Noida, a Delhi suburb. It is a chain that transformed the painstaking centuries-old process of making briyani, which involves layering rice and meat in various stages of doneness into a pot that is sealed and cooked further, into a precision-driven dash. Briyani is known as biryani in India. Four pieces of semi-cooked chicken that have been marinated in their proprietary spice mix are whipped out of a freezer. They are dunked into a wok together with some milk and screw pine essence. A few minutes on the flame, the meat is then passed on to Mr Mohammed Kazim, one of the A view of Biryani Depot’s central kitchen in Pune. employees, who lays it into a small earthen pot. PHOTO: ST FILE

48 AsianInsider January 2021 The other prepared ingredients are quickly layered in – all according to specifications on a chart that is glued on an opposite wall – and the pot is sealed with dough. Another four minutes on the flame and it is then popped into an oven for 20 minutes. The entire process, true to their commitment, takes just under 35 minutes. This zippy model has transformed briyani into India’s most-ordered item on food delivery platforms, with multiple variants now available through restaurants as well as cloud kitchens that are easily accessible online. As many as 100 million portions of briyani were ordered last year on India’s top food aggregators – A jackfruit biryani from Biryani By Kilo, which tapped a Zomato, Swiggy and Uber Eats. growing appetite for a quick fix of briyani. In 2018, the total briyani market (both organised PHOTO: BIRYANI BY KILO and unorganised) was estimated to be 275 billion rupees (S$5 billion). Briyani is also central to Rebel Foods, which Even the lockdown – or the occasional use of describes itself as the “world’s largest Internet With the briyani as a slur to attack Muslims and other “anti- restaurant company” and operates over 300 cloud pandemic nationals” – has not dislodged the dish from its kitchens in India. Two of its brands – Behrouz and pre-eminent position on food delivery apps. The Biryani Life – are built around the dish. whiplashing Its timeless appeal as an aromatic one-pot meal In July, it received funding from a host of the restaurant has cemented the dish’s popularity in a rice-eating investors, including Gojek. industry, the nation that also loves meat. Whether it is a lazy Over the next year or so, Rebel Foods and Gojek cloud kitchen night at home or a party, an order of chicken or plan to build around 100 cloud kitchens in Indonesia mutton briyani is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. serving nasi goreng and possibly even briyani, model selling When it launched its first outlet in 2015, BBK among other dishes. briyani for tapped this growing appetite for a quick fix of But true connoisseurs feel the mass production of delivery and briyani. briyani – including that which is cooked and frozen takeouts has “I have never seen an outlet ramp up that fast to be reheated and delivered – has reduced the dish in terms of sales and repeat customers,” said Mr to a soulless assembly-line pastiche. come in handy Kaushik Roy, one of the two BBK co-founders, who Restaurants even have components of briyani for those forced launched close to 200 restaurants in his career. prepared and stocked separately, ready to be to reinvent their The chain has since grown to 41 outlets across the assembled and microwaved on order. careers. country, accounting for around 9,000 pots of briyani Mr Osama Jalali, a food historian who is working daily that come in two options – 500g and 1kg. on a book on briyani, tells me he has even come Technology allows every order at BBK to be across instances where reduced meat curries are tracked until it is delivered, and 70 per cent of its layered with rice and then cooked as if it were orders reach customers in less than 60 minutes. briyani, a dish that requires rice to be partially Individual customer preferences are also tracked cooked in meat stock. on its in-house software for targeted marketing. It’s a sacrilege, he said. With the pandemic whiplashing the restaurant “Maybe 10 years down the line, we may call any industry, the cloud kitchen model selling briyani combination of meat and rice a briyani. for delivery and takeouts has come in handy for “It is the procedure of making briyani that makes those forced to reinvent their careers. briyani what it is and that is getting lost in this Mr Saptadeep Roy, who worked as an area general race,” Mr Jalali added. manager for an Italian restaurant chain in Pune, He launched Village Degh in August, a cloud is one of them. The chain’s outlets were closed kitchen that sells two variants of briyani that are temporarily in March because of the lockdown. slow-cooked over four hours in large pots. He told With no certainty of when they would reopen, me proudly that his unit, which runs out of a farm he quit his job that month and started a briyani in Gurgaon, uses no electrical appliances or gas, delivery chain – Biryani Depot – in August with a relying instead on mortar and pestle and firewood. cloud kitchen in Pune that accounts for over 3,500 Also sceptical of ordering briyani from untested briyani servings every month. cloud kitchens, Ms Marryam H. Reshii, a Delhi- He plans to open another 40 kitchens across the based food writer, described the dish as a “huge art country by the end of 2021. form” and a “wonderful subject to keep studying and It is a thriving pandemic-era business formula discovering more and more nuances”. that not only reaches out to customers wary of eating out, but also works around steep rentals that Food historian and chef Osama Jalali preparing briyani at a cloud kitchen that he runs out of a farm in Gurgaon deter launches of dine-in restaurants. that uses firewood for cooking.PHOTO: OSAMA JALALI

49 02 GIRLS ON FIRE (HIP–HOP/POP) G.O.F Hear it on: KKBox, Apple Music and other music streaming platforms Watch it on: PHOTO: G.O.F/FACEBOOK bit.ly/36TbZrE Seven-member girl group G.O.F, short for “Girls On Fire”, are a product of the Taiwanese reality competition Dancing Diamond 52 (2020). On their first album, they prove to be a force to be reckoned with. The opening song, Runaway, features a sturdy, galloping beat, rapid-fire rapping and screams. Many bass-heavy numbers, such as Boom Cha Cha La Ka and Fairy Temple, combine fiery passion with boundless energy. Looks like exciting things lie ahead for this fireball of a band.

TFBoys 03 BETWEEN Life: Music HEAVEN AND EARTH (ROCK) Charming groups F.I.R. Hear it on: KKBox, Spotify and in Chinese music other music streaming platforms GROUPS IN THE CHINESE MUSIC SCENE HAVE PUT PHOTO: HIM INTERNATIONAL MUSIC Watch it on: BENSON ANG out an impressive body of work recently, with smooth bit.ly/3lZIyL2 CORRESPONDENT harmonies, catchy hooks and snazzy choreography. Taiwanese pop-rock band F.I.R. make full use Understanding the individual strengths of their of lead singer Lydia Han’s rich, full-bodied voice members, many of these boy bands and girl groups to deliver a rousing theme song for the animation have delivered more than the sum of their parts. series Da Shen Xian, which premiered in November. Here are 10 new releases. Its lush instrumentation – including the use of the shakuhachi Japanese flute, gongs and cymbals – as well as its wide emotional range 01 fit well with the magical powers and creatures TOGETHER WITH YOU (POP) featured in the show. [email protected] TFBoys Hear it on: KKBox, Spotify and other music streaming platforms 04 Watch it on: bit.ly/36TaKZw ONE AND ALL (POP) Every year, millions of fans eagerly await the Mirror new songs from this Chinese superstar boy band Hear it on: KKBox, – comprising Roy Wang, Karry Wang and Jackson Spotify and other music Yee – for their anniversary concert. streaming platforms While the performance of this year’s numbers Watch it on: – Together With You and Lights – appeared rather PHOTO: MUSIC NATION RECORDS bit.ly/37d3RCH wooden during the group’s seventh anniversary Hong Kong boy band online concert in August, the tunes brim with the Mirror were formed in 2018 from 12 contestants on same boy-next-door wholesomeness and positivity the Good Night Show – King Maker talent show. that have endeared the trio to legions of fans. In November, they released the heart-warming

50 AsianInsider January 2021 08 LET BYGONES Cantonese song One And All, celebrating their BE BYGONES camaraderie and shared ups (ROCK) and downs. Power Station Hear it on: 05 PHOTO: HIM INTERNATIONAL MUSIC KKBox, Apple UNFORGETTABLE Music and (POP/HIP–HOP) other music streaming platforms Unine Watch it on: bit.ly/35XfyxX Hear it on: KKBox, Apple Taiwanese rock duo Power Station’s 2001 Music and other music song Walking On Chung Hsiao East Road Nine streaming platforms Times was about heartbreak surrounding a failed PHOTO: TIANJIN HUA LU Watch it on: relationship, with lyrics written by famed lyricist CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION bit.ly/2HnxZCe Wu Yu-kang. The Chinese nine-member boy band, which In November, they released what they call a debuted in 2019 and disbanded last October, sequel, Let Bygones Be Bygones, with its Chinese were around for only 18 months, with many lyrics also penned by Wu. The new song, about posts saying the members had “graduated”. letting go of the past, is full of wistful longing Their last EP, Unforgettable, was ironically and a worthy follow-up to the original. quite forgettable. While the songs Speechless and Shiny Day emphasise the specialness of their time together, it is hard to feel for a group whose 09 lifespan was so brief. DESTINATION NOWHERE (POP/ROCK) Nowhere Boys 06 Hear it on: KKBox, NAUGHTY BEAUTY Spotify and other music (POP) streaming platforms Per6ix Watch it on: Hear it on: KKBox, PHOTO: MEDIA ASIA MUSIC bit.ly/2IZNVem Spotify and other music The five members of Hong Kong rock band streaming platforms Nowhere Boys come from diverse backgrounds – Watch it on: from architecture to fixing guitars – and it shows PHOTO: ENJOY RECORDS bit.ly/2UQGsAU in their music. Releasing their first EP in April, Taiwanese girl Their album Destination Nowhere has myriad group Per6ix’s name combines the word “persist” influences and subjects, such as superheroes in with the fact that there are six members. Superpowers, Disney films in Electronic Dream A sense of youthful determination pervades this and the Hong Kong housing situation in That’s second EP’s title track, Naughty Beauty, which is Why. It is a joy to unpack their eclectic references. about staying the course and having no regrets. 10 07 UHHO UHHOHO (POP) REAL LOVE IS... AKB48 Team TP (ALTERNATIVE FOLK) Hear it on: KKBox, The Chairs Spotify and other music Hear it on: KKBox, Apple streaming platforms Music and other music Watch it on: streaming platforms bit.ly/3nLzDNv Watch it on: PHOTO: ENJOY RECORDS This Taiwanese idol PHOTO: THE CHAIRS/FACEBOOK bit.ly/3lUEgo6 girl group feature 16 members on the cover of their After clinching the award for Best Vocal latest EP, Uhho Uhhoho, and online sources suggest Collaboration at 2019’s Golden Melody Awards, there might be even more members and trainees. Taipei-based indie band The Chairs – comprising Jin Given the sheer number of voices, they Chiu, Zhong Chen and Benson Sun – are back with sometimes sound like a classroom of schoolgirls a new album, Real Love Is... singing in unison. In the title track’s music video, With many laid–back, loungey numbers – from the members are also shown setting up yurts the idyllic Paradise... How Far? to the folksy Maybe and dancing around a campfire, presumably on Maybe – this work is perfect for a lazy afternoon. an excursion.

51 Big Picture PHOTO: AFP Fire pots for winter in Kashmir

THESE VENDORS IN SRINAGAR ARE HAWKING THE around the bowl-shaped earthenware pot. kangri, a traditional fire pot made by local craftsmen The kangri is encased in a handmade wicker for use in winter in the region. basket and it is carried as a personal warmer. The Made with clay and twigs, the 15cm-wide pot fire pot is also decorated with colourful threads, holds hot coal and keeps people warm. Temperature mirror-work and sequins. can dip to as low as -20 deg C. Since March, when the region went into In a village in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, twigs lockdown, Kashmir’s tourism industry has faced (picture below) used to make the pots are left to a heavy blow after already being crippled by New dry in a field. The twigs are collected from shrubs, Delhi’s decision to revoke the region’s semi- scraped and peeled and go through a process of autonomous status last August. soaking, drying and dyeing. They are then woven According to Reuters, more than 60,000 jobs have been lost since then, with Kashmir’s economy across all sectors losing nearly 400 billion Indian rupees (S$7.2 billion). Tourism is an important industry for Kashmir, contributing about 7 per cent of the region’s gross domestic product, according to government data. The Kashmir region has seen more than 116,000 coronavirus cases and around 2,000 deaths, reported the Hindustan Times. While worries about security have kept many visitors away, others are put off by travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, say industry experts. Hoteliers, taxi drivers and others relying on tourism in the region now fear that Kashmir’s PHOTO: REUTERS tourism industry could take years to recover.

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