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April 2nd, 2020

"We're not going back to where we were"

The COVID-19 pandemic will reshape borders, societies and businesses

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The Big Story

How the coronavirus is reshaping Asia's borders, business and trade

As countries turn inward, pandemic threatens the foundations of globalization

Food delivery drivers in Bangkok keep safe distance: As borders close, economies in Asia that have thrived on openness and connectivity are having to undo decades of integration. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
For years, South Korea's economy has stagnated. Whether postindustrial cities like Gunsan can prosper -- or even just survive -- will shape President Moon Jae-in’s legacy. (Photo by Jean Chung)
Politics

Facing elections, Moon struggles to revive South Korean economy

Industrial wastelands defy stimulus to expose economic malaise

Omise's payment gateway makes online purchasing simple and fast. The startup now hopes to create a blockchain-powered value-exchange platform for digital assets that does not rely on conventional financial networks. (Nikkei illustration)
Startups in Asia

The little-known Thai startup that makes e-commerce go

Omise powers purchases of Big Macs and more while honing blockchain tech

Apple lags behind rivals Samsung and Huawei in releasing a 5G-capable smartphone.
Coronavirus

Apple weighs delaying 5G iPhone launch by months, sources say

US tech giant assesses coronavirus impact on global demand

Royal Thai Army soldiers sanitize the street in Bangkok at night to deal with the spread of coronavirus. The government invoked a state of emergency on Thursday. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Finance

Insurance sales surge in Thailand as epidemic spreads

Citizens rush to secure medical expenses and payouts with coronavirus policies

Asahi Kasei unit Zoll Medical will increase production of these portable ventilators. (Photo courtesy of Asahi Kasei)
Coronavirus

Ventilator output ramps up as world braces for patient surge

Japan's Asahi Kasei plans 25-fold boost while automakers weigh support

Demonstrators stage a protest at the New China Plaza apparel market in Guangzhou, China, on March 13. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Retail

Chinese shop tenants revolt over rents

Small-business owners suffer as virus eats into shopper traffic and revenue

Customers at a Beijing microbrewery.  Chinese beer drinkers are quaffing more premium brews in recent years.
Food & Beverage

China's beer king to quit making brew for the masses

Industry leader China Resources goes upscale, closing multiple plants

A man uses his phone in Hong Kong. Telecoms are expected to be "less affected" by the coronavirus pandemic, CK Hutchison Chairman Victor Li said.
Companies

CK Hutchison ekes out 2% profit growth with European push

Hong Kong conglomerate says telecom business safe from coronavirus

A worker inspects newly-made gloves at a Top Glove factory in Klang outside Kuala Lumpur.
Nikkei Markets

World's largest glove-maker Top Glove expects 40% profit surge

Virus-led demand surge to boost second-half earnings

Police in protective suits spray disinfectant to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the Baiturrahman mosque in Aceh, Indonesia on March 21.
Asia Insight

Coronavirus closes mosques, churches and temples across Asia

Devout turn to livestreaming as social distancing rules tighten

While the pandemic poses an immediate threat, Sino-U.S. tensions, ineffective global institutions and domestic demographics will all pose challenges for Singapore's "fourth generation" leaders.
Politics

For Singapore's next leaders, coronavirus is only half the battle

5 years after Lee Kuan Yew's death, election nears as headwinds hit economy

The government's March report is the first in six years and nine months to not use the term "recovery." (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Economy

Abenomics recovery stopped in tracks by coronavirus

Japan downgrades view to 'severe situation,' closing book on six-year run

Johns Hopkins University released "The Characteristics of Pandemic Pathogens" in 2018. (Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins University)
Coronavirus

2-year-old warning goes unheeded in lead-up to pandemic

Johns Hopkins released recommendations for fighting coronaviruses in 2018

Chinese anti-epidemic medical expert team at Milan's Malpensa airport on Mar. 18: China can present itself as a benevolent and responsible world power.
Opinion

China is rewriting coronavirus history and nobody will stop it

Disarray in global governments gives Beijing chance to step up and reap rewards

China will have to find a face-saving way to resolve the long-running dispute over the Senkaku Islands, which China claims and calls Diaoyu.
Opinion

Delaying Xi's visit to Japan offers chance for real strategic progress

China's president must bring solution to islands dispute, not just businesspeople

Millennials want the country's future back: Demonstrators protest the court's decision to dissolve the Future Forward party, at Bangkok's Kasetsart University on Feb. 29.
Opinion

Younger voices are taking back Thailand from military rulers

Future Forward party's dissolution will not stop millennials working for change

The Geneva headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
The Nikkei View

China must not politicize international agencies

Abuse of system warps global response to critical issues, including coronavirus

In addition to growing coffee, the women of Kambihalli Estate also run Halli Berri cottages, a luxe homestay. (Christabel Lobo)
Life

India's coffee-growing tradition thrives with new gourmet producers

Family tragedy prompted Kambihalli Estate's revival in Karnataka

"Seated Three Graces," a work by Korean American Debbie Han, who won the Sovereign Asian Art Prize in 2009. Han said the "best award," however, came two years later when the Sovereign Asian Art Foundation invited her to work with disadvantaged children in Cambodia. (Courtesy of the Sovereign Art Foundation)
Arts

Hong Kong's Sovereign reigns supreme over the art of charity

Asia's oldest prize for artists remains among its most distinguished

Roughly 116 million fans in China watched Na Li win the 2011 French Open women's final, but it was the live crowd of 15,000 that helped make the triumph complete. 
Tea Leaves

Silence of the fans

In top-class sport, it isn't only the players who are important