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Building a resilient and inclusive global health system together—Taiwan can help

The threat that emerging infectious diseases poses to global health and the economy, trade, and tourism never ceases. Up until April 2021, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused more than 150 million cases and more than 3.16 million deaths worldwide.

The disease caused enormous medical, economic, and social impacts around the world, and significantly threatened global efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) .

Taiwan had been expected to be one of the countries that might be severely affected by the epidemic due to the proximity to China. However, given the past experience of fighting SARS outbreak in 2003, Taiwan was able to piece together various information to foresee a picture that implied the scope and severity of this pandemic might be much worse than the global society perceived. Authorities thus launched heightened monitoring on December 31, 2019, and have tirelessly implemented public health containment measures. In contrast to the global economic recession, Taiwan’s GDP growth for 2020 was approximately 3.11%, with even higher growth of 4.94% in the fourth quarter.

Public trust and comprehensive cooperation with the government’s measurements have certainly been a crucial element in Taiwan’s practices in containment of COVID-19. The government of Taiwan has worked hard to maintain the balance between people’s right and effective intervention to safeguard public health. Under the pandemic, Taiwan has demonstrated an emphasis on the right to health, the fairness of people and the protection of minority groups as well as strong opposition to human rights violations. The effort to secure both freedom and safety of people by the Taiwan government hast thus gained public trust and understanding in complying with all COVID-19 countermeasures.

Recently, many countries have suffered from the fast-spreading variants of COVID-19 virus, which have triggered the latest wave of transmission immediately. Meanwhile, the dramatic rise in the number of confirmed cases has also laid a growing burden on the healthcare system to many countries. The influx of infected people has challenged the capacity of hospitals and caused shortage of wards. Medical supplies and intensive care units are tested to their limits on a daily basis. As a reliable partner-in-waiting to the global health system, Taiwan would like to share with the world a valuable lesson acquired from past experience. After dealing with SARS pandemic, Taiwan established a nationwide infectious disease healthcare network that is led and overseen by related experts across six regions of the country. More than 100 secondary response hospitals are included in the network and all twenty-two special municipalities, counties and cities have designated their primary response hospitals. The network also provides the legal authority for transferring patients with highly contagious diseases to designated facilities based on public health and clinical need.

This has proven instrumental in protecting health systems and health professionals from being overwhelmed, and allowed most non-COVID-19 health services to continue to operate without disruption during the pandemic. To date, there is zero death of health professionals related to hospital outbreaks of COVID-19.

This pandemic has proven yet again that Taiwan cannot be ruled out of the global health network. The pandemic has also called for Taiwan’s capacity to research, develop, produce, and supply therapies and associated tools (including two COVID-19 vaccines that are presently in Phase 2 trials). Being able to comprehensively participate in and contribute to international COVID-19 supply chain systems, as well as global diagnostics, vaccine, and therapeutics platforms, would allow Taiwan to work with the rest of the world.

We urge WHO and related parties to include Taiwan in WHO and its meetings, mechanisms, and activities. Taiwan will continue to work with the rest of the world to ensure that every person enjoys the fundamental human right to health as stipulated in the WHO Constitution. Echoing the mantra of the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, no one should be left behind.

Published : May 25, 2021

By : Dr. Shih-chung Chen, Minister of Health and Welfare, Republic of China (Taiwan)

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How working remotely has brought human touch back to business

Though 2020 has come and gone, travel bans remain, which means virtual meetings are here to stay. According to the latest Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI), 68 per cent of businesses in the Asia-Pacific/Japan (APJ) region plan to conduct more business using video conferencing and limit travel where possible.

This brave new world of business continues to turn a lot of long-held beliefs on their head. Business leaders have celebrated the value of face-to-face meetings for decades, suggesting that being face-to-face was the only way to build relationships based on trust. Nowhere is this more ingrained than in Asia, a region where professional travel is a way of life and in-person meetings are crucial for engaging new customers, showing respect to partners and navigating both business and cultural nuances.

There is also a belief in Thai organisational culture that humility and face-to-face meetings enable smooth negotiations and facilitate immediate reaction nuances.

However, the Covid-19 outbreak has shifted all long-held beliefs. Many businesses are inevitably increasingly turning to online meeting tools and looking for solutions that meet the needs of their organisations.

The Digital Government Development Agency (DGA), for example, provides online teleconferencing via a high-speed internet network called GIN Conference (Government Information Network) to government agencies, aiding the effective deployment of resources to deal with emergencies and crises.

Adapting to a new world

In essence, never has the power of technology been so felt and understood. Without it, the pandemic would have forced us to retreat into our enclaves. Instead, while we haven’t been able to travel corporeally, technology has enabled us to maintain and build new human connections.

The companies I have seen truly embracing technology as a means to “carry on” are the ones I deem to have a truly innovative mindset. For example, KTBST Securities Public Co Ltd (KTBST SEC) is a Thai securities brokerage firm that uses technology to digitise its working processes and strategic plans. Before the transformation from its legacy infrastructure to a hyper-converged one, the company spent time training and changing the mindset of its employees. The payback was very positive. Chosen solutions were implemented in a much speedier and smoother fashion than expected. In addition, the company has the capacity to upgrade or enhance its systems seamlessly and with confidence to meet changing customer expectations.

Embracing changes

Some countries have made the most of the changes. We have already seen companies pivot to deal with the significant uptick in work from home, with 46 per cent of global organisations and 62 per cent of Thai organisations modifying their IT infrastructures to improve support for remote workers according to the ECI research. This rapid change has been supported by technologies like hybrid cloud, which allowed organisations to deliver secure and efficient access to virtual apps, desktops and data to all remote workers.

Now, business leaders need to apply similar technological transformations to their external business relationships.

This is already starting to happen. Company executives that were once hard to pin down for in-person meetings were suddenly available to take virtual meetings that they would have previously demanded be face-to-face. And once they settled into the fact that face-to-face was no longer possible, they embraced the benefits that virtual meetings enabled – including more time available to actually do business, rather than sitting in traffic, or being stuck on the train during the morning commute. They have also gained the chance to turn “administrative” meetings into emails or messages, and the ability to conduct business with people around the world from the safety and comfort of their own homes.

Great paradox: Physical separation creating deeper emotional bonds

There is another silver lining to doing business virtually. Thanks to technology, we’ve all inadvertently been invited into the homes of our peers and colleagues and witnessed children, pets, partners, or tradespeople wandering in and out of frame. This has allowed us to build relationships that are more real and based on our shared human experiences, rather than on the hyper-professional facades we present to each other on short business trips.

Likewise, with everyone working remotely, we have all faced the struggle of making ourselves understood via video conference or group call. Previously, a room full of people would have a speakerphone in the middle of the table and maybe a video on a big screen to connect to one or two remote workers. Now, remote work is everyone’s challenge – creating a common ground that a new generation of business relationships can be built upon. When everyone is remote and often communicating asynchronously, it is easier to use translation tools as well, which broadens participation around the region.

The pandemic has been undeniably hard and, as we’ve all experienced, it has changed the very fabric of society. But being grounded hasn’t stopped me from connecting with my employees, customers and partners. On the contrary – being in one place on a more predictable schedule has enabled me to fit in more one-on-one calls, more conversations with team members on the frontline, and more online meetings with a larger number of partners than I would ever be able to fit into a business trip. This ability to come together despite distance and considerable challenges exemplifies humankind’s capacity for innovation – one of our greatest assets – and I am excited for us all to embrace our newfound resilience and create better ways of doing business soon.

Published : May 18, 2021

By : Thawipong Anotaisinthawee, Country manager, Nutanix (Thailand)

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New trends emerge in luxury residential market, as pandemic prompts change in lifestyle

What will happen in the wake of the pandemic when people begin to look again at investing in luxury residential properties? While our fight against Covid-19 continues, changes in buyers’ behaviour over the past 12 months have already begun to reshape the luxury real estate market.

Encouraged by the need for social distancing and the rise of remote working, an increasing number of people living and working in major cities now split their time between home and ‘away’ – a long stay in a holiday destination or a second home.

The trend towards purchasing second homes reflects this shift. According to Knight Frank’s Global Buyer Survey – undertaken in June 2020 across 44 countries – over 26 per cent of respondents said they were more likely to buy a second home as a result of the pandemic.

The pandemic has also underscored the importance of nature and space, wellness and well being, and quality time spent with family.

Within the luxury segment in Asia, we are seeing a trend towards multi-generational real estate purchases – with pooled investment being made in residences that can be used by grandparents, parents and children, as well as preference for landed and single-family homes – where outdoor space abounds, privacy is a given and living spaces are customisable to fit the needs of a large or growing family.

What we are most excited about, however, are some of the shifts that are happening within the travel and hospitality sector.

With border restrictions confining the majority of travellers to domestic destinations, many have taken the opportunity to discover lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path destinations. We are also seeing a move away from “big box” travel and towards a “boutique” holiday experience, with an increasing number of travellers seeking a more bespoke or personalised experience during their stay.

New trends emerge in luxury residential market, as pandemic prompts change in lifestyle

Branded leverage

The post-pandemic era offers an opportunity for branded residences – those that are managed by a hospitality brand through an adjoining hotel or resort – to position themselves as the investment property of choice.

The branded residence sector is growing around the world, especially in this region. According to a March 2020 report by C9 Hotelworks on the sector, Asia now has a third of the world’s branded residences, with most developments located in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

New trends emerge in luxury residential market, as pandemic prompts change in lifestyle

The promise of a global hospitality brand is at the core of the branded residence offering. Leveraging the developer’s and operator’s combined expertise, they offer assurance in terms of quality and service standards, including those governing the safety and well-being of residents, for additional peace of mind amidst the current global pandemic.

From a real estate standpoint, the branded residence model presents an opportunity for investors to generate both short- and long-term returns. With a full complement of hotel or resort amenities, buyers benefit from hassle-free home-ownership, and the opportunity to earn returns through a resort-managed rental programme.

In the long run, buyers stand to benefit from an increase in resale value. Savills, in its 2019 Branded Residences Report, estimates that the average premium for branded residences over a non-branded product starts at 35 per cent, rising to as much as 70 per cent in emerging destinations, where buyers also stand to benefit from first-mover advantage.

The trend and demand for luxury branded residences will only continue to gain traction in the future, driven largely by the rise of the upper- and middle-class market segment in Asia. Its growth trajectory will be closely linked to the travel and hospitality sector: we foresee branded residences growing in importance as drivers of tourism development in emerging destinations. Adding a branded residential project to a destination helps strengthen its attractiveness as a travel and investment destination, supporting the development of the destination from an economic perspective.

New trends emerge in luxury residential market, as pandemic prompts change in lifestyle

Hospitality advantage

With over 500 hotels, resorts and residences globally – 40 of which are under the Anantara brand – Minor International has built a reputation as a luxury hotel owner and operator over the past 50 years. As a real estate developer, we leverage this depth of experience when we build and manage our residential developments. Where relevant, we seek emerging destinations with growth potential, and invest in these locations as a pioneering developer, together with local partners that share our vision.

Our branded residences portfolio in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia allows us to offer a more attractive real estate investment opportunity than pure home-ownership. Our portfolio is purposefully small, which enables us to nurture a personalised relationship with every buyer, which lasts throughout the duration of their ownership. All our developments are also boutique-sized, to create and foster a strong sense of community within our owners.

Despite the challenges that remain, we feel there is sound cause for optimism in this post-pandemic world. For the luxury real estate sector, it is crucial that we remain cognizant of how the market is changing and how these shifting trends can be leveraged to uncover new opportunities.

The writer is vice president for real estate at Minor International

Published : May 09, 2021

By : Micah Tamthai

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Resident Evil VIII rekindles the illogical, weird magic of the series

Resident Evil is about the balance of fear and power. Its a staple of the series. At the beginning of each game, the player is meant to feel overwhelmed and confused. By the end, they can fight back against these emotions – usually with a rocket launcher.

“Resident Evil VIII: Village” continues this tradition, dropping faceless protagonist Ethan Winters – also the star of “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” – in the middle of a wildly unfamiliar situation. But if you loved the understated horror of Ethan’s adventure in the seventh game, you’ll only get a bit of that here. In fact, you’ll likely leave disappointed. But if you’re like me and your favorite title is “Resident Evil 4,” this will delight.

Built like a Disneyland of horror tropes and gore, the eponymous village funnels you toward gory sights and sounds, with Ethan circling a drain of carnage. Resident Evil games are almost literally visceral experiences, holding up guts and gross things up to the camera to intimidate, bewilder and occasionally even charm. The good news: “Village” is a visually stunning ride. Later in the game, when the action ramps up, I couldn’t help but compare it to 2019′s “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” with its arresting visual and audio fidelity. (Just swap the guns and militants for werewolves and biomechanical freaks).

“Village” quickly moves along narrative beats familiar to “Resident Evil 4” veterans, including oddball villains like the now-infamous Lady Dimetrescu, the 9-foot-tall vampire that dominated the game’s marketing. She and the other lords of the village conjure gleeful energy throughout the game, fabulous and fearsome. It’s the kind of gory glamour the series sometimes loves to dress itself in, as in the opera-house drama of “Code Veronica,” or the sixth sequel’s climactic battle between a zombie Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Jeep. In “Village,” Ethan trades the small-town Louisiana horror of “Biohazard” for weirder territory.

Now we turn to some bad news: Dimetrescu is far from the game’s focus. Rather, she’s just one of four villains Ethan must topple to rescue his daughter. Yes, it’s another horror game about the travails and emotions of being a dad. The premise is stale, so it’s good that the four “children” of the chief antagonist, Mother Miranda, try to breathe life (or death?) into it. Not all of them do. A third villain’s section of the horror theme park is a swampy trial-and-error drudge, and his fight fails to excite.

Dimetrescu is charismatic to the detriment of your other foes. She is imperious and poised, and you’ll find it impossible to unglue your eyes from the screen any time she appears, or even as she stalks you throughout her castle. No one, not even the mysterious Mother Miranda, commands as much attention, and it’s hard not to notice once she exits the stage.

Fortunately, the horror showcase that follows is immediately terrifying. Anyone concerned that Dimetrescu’s flamboyance might subdue the game’s fear factor need not worry. The next monster is a constant startling presence, with a face so unsettling it had the polar opposite effect of Dimetrescu: I kept having to look away.

“Village” gives players plenty of opportunity to explore. It’s very much a lighter “Metroid” experience, where accomplishing certain tasks gives you the key to explore more areas and find more secrets. The actual village hub has a few locked doors and treasure chests with ample rewards and story nuggets about what exactly is going on. It’s surface-level stuff, and hardly any of it is coherent or compelling, but this is Resident Evil, not “The Last of Us.”

Make no mistake: the environment isn’t interactive, it’s mostly there to set a majestic mood while leaving just enough visual cues to push you forward. This game is far from clever, and the puzzles are about as hard as they were in the recent remakes. But they’re enough to make some players feel clever, and that’s all you can ask. And the backdrop for these simplistic puzzles almost never gets old to tour. Outside of the village and the castle, the story takes you to the expected tropes of past Resident Evil titles, but plays with your expectations enough to keep it engaging and surprising.

As audience surrogate and everyman, Ethan Winters is not an interesting or wise character. But “Village” eventually turns him into a sympathetic one, painting him as a hapless, entangled victim. By the end of the game, Ethan Winters is no longer the dogged, serious and scared hero of “Biohazard.” He’s the tragic superhero protagonist of a Zack Snyder film, a singular, narrow vision of emotion maximized to mythology. It’s here where Resident Evil returns to its classic escalation of stakes and action. Unlike the lonely “Biohazard,” “Village” ends with a muddy conspiracy and muddier motivations, and at a scale we haven’t seen since the loud, ridiculous “Resident Evil 6,” all the way back in 2012.

This is why your enjoyment of “Village” depends on what you want out of Resident Evil. I love when “Village” leans into camp and slapstick goth violence. I love when it magically, without logic, gives me the tools I need to fight against the madness. I love how many aesthetic cues it takes from the fourth game. I love how many gameplay mechanics “Village” borrows from it too, especially the return of the attaché case. Resident Evil games are as much about inventory management as they are about killing zombies, and “Village” allows you to play “Tetris” with your items. My Ethan Winters took plenty of breaks to play Marie Kondo, decluttering and rearranging until the joy sparked.

A mercantile system also returns in the very large body of the Duke, who lords over the proceedings with a watchful eye. The Duke is absolutely related to the famous “What’re ya buying” anonymous merchant of “RE4,″ whose identity has confounded fans and lore theorists. But the Duke gives a few more clues about the nature of these retailers, and about the whole series in general. After buying one of the many upgrades for your weapons (which persist in future playthroughs), the Duke will cheerfully tell you to “have a wonderful adventure.”

The Resident Evil series is eternally challenged by balancing its aggressive violence, the grim beauty of its environments, and the whimsy of its typecast, entirely moronic characters. “Village” almost walks that line – until it can’t help itself, and runs amok with its own imagination. Many fans, myself included, will welcome it. If the end of the world already feels like a bunch of nonsense with irrational, emotional people, might as well make an adventure of it.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : The Washington Post · Gene Park

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Pandemic highlights need for resilient occupational safety and health systems: ILO

The pandemic has reinforced the need for resilient national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) systems to be put in place. To mark Safe Day 2021, ILO’s assistant director-general and regional director for Asia-Pacific, Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, explains what they are and what needs to be done.

Workplaces can easily become contaminated, exposing workers, their families and communities to the risk of infection. In addition to infection, workers in all sectors face additional hazards that have emerged due to new work practices and procedures adopted to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Working at home, for instance, has led to ergonomic and psychosocial risks with some 65 per cent of surveyed enterprises reporting that worker morale has been difficult to sustain.

Certain workplaces have been particularly affected, such as the 136 million health and social workers at serious risk of acquiring Covid-19 during the course of their work. Moreover, those workers, as well as essential staff in many other sectors, have faced increased workload, longer working hours and reduced rest periods. The risk of violence and harassment at work has also risen, with consequences for both physical and mental well-being.

The protection of workers against sickness, disease and injury related to their work environment has been a central issue for the ILO since 1919.

Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, principles contained in the ILO Occupational Safety and Health standards have shown to be more relevant than ever, especially the principle of prevention.

Faced with an unprecedented public health emergency, governments have taken measures to curb the spread of the virus through public health systems. Actors in the world of work, particularly in the field of OSH, have been crucial in the emergency response for protecting workers including those who support public health systems.

At the same time, special attention has been needed to ensure that policies and strategies do not discriminate against anyone, and consider those in vulnerable situations including the young, women, disabled and migrant workers, the self-employed and the informal economy.

Among the many lessons learned from this crisis, is the need for countries to have a sound and resilient OSH system in place, one that can build capacity for future emergencies and protect workers’ safety and health while supporting the survival of enterprises.

The ILO’s Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 lays out key elements of a national OSH system.

They comprise regulatory and institutional frameworks; occupational health services; information, advisory services and training; data collection and research; and mechanisms for strengthening OSH management systems at the enterprise level to prevent and respond to OSH risks. Investing in these systems enables countries to better face and recover from crises by safeguarding lives and livelihoods, and advancing the protection of workers.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Covid pandemic has led to many countries taking steps to strengthen priority elements of their national OSH system.

For example, Singapore has adopted new regulations on teleworking or leave with a view of protecting vulnerable populations. In India, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry has produced and disseminated materials on how to effectively communicate with workers and people who are suspected or confirmed to have Covid-19.

In New Zealand, occupational health professionals have helped workers set up ergonomically sound home office environments to support healthy teleworking. In Bangladesh, research has looked at instances of suicides by workers due to Covid-related unemployment or business closures. Meanwhile, a study in Malaysia examined the specific risks that migrants face in connection with Covid-19.

The pandemic has furthermore demonstrated the importance of social dialogue between governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations not only in responding to crises but also in promoting good OSH conditions. A climate of trust, built through social dialogue, is essential for the effective implementation of measures to address emergencies such as Covid-19, which require quick but effective action. Strengthened respect for, and reliance upon, mechanisms for social dialogue create a strong foundation for building resilience and encouraging commitment from employers and workers to the necessary policy and practical measures.

Covid-19 has undoubtedly been one of the gravest occupational safety and health challenges the world has ever faced. A strong national OSH system can only be built through concerted action and commitment of all stakeholders.

Published : May 03, 2021

By : THE NATION

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Biden’s star trek on climate change

Joe Biden reaches a milestone on Thursday, marking his first 100 days as the 46th president of the United States. After four years of chaotic Trump governance, the world was relieved at how quickly Biden shifted to calm and competent professionalism in tackling the pandemic, economy and foreign affairs.

Biden used April 22, Earth Day, to call a Global Summit on climate change. The theme this year was to “Restore our Earth” after last year was marked by the pandemic, unprecedented natural disasters and the second-hottest year on record. It also witnessed record stock market prices coupled with rising poverty, indicating a growing wealth gap.

The 40 global leaders invited to the global summit included not only heads of G-20 countries but also of small nations like Bhutan, Gabon, Antigua and Barbuda and Marshall Islands. Within the Asian region, leaders of non-G20 members like Vietnam, Singapore and Bangladesh joined heavyweights like China’s President Xi, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Indonesian President Jokowi, Japan’s Prime Minister Suga and South Korean President Moon. Significantly, this was German Chancellor Merkel’s last global summit appearance, while Pope Francis was also invited to add a moral tone.

President Biden’s opening remarks tackled not just the existential threat of climate change but also jobs and getting the economy moving through clean investments. He urged global leaders to take concrete action to prevent the Earth’s temperature from rising more than 1.5C. To show American leadership, he committed the US to two significant steps. The first is a formal commitment to cut US emissions in half from 2005 levels by 2030. The second is to double his country’s annual public climate financing for developing countries by 2024.

How significant was this Global Climate Summit? Optically, it could be the Green New Deal of the Century. Practically, it’s all about delivery – whether the US can lead the world out of the climate warming trap with action and not just words. If America is not able to put its own house in order in terms of social inequality, economy and climate change, it will cede leadership elsewhere.

So far, Biden has had most of his nominated officials approved, so that tested professionals are now busy cleaning up Trump’s legacies. This is a calmer and more effective White House, in sharp contrast to the constant barrage of angry and wild tweets emerging from the Trump White House.

Under Biden, the US has led the vaccination rollout, allowing the economy to reopen, and committing $5.1 trillion – $0.9 trillion under Trump, $1.9 trillion in February and $2.3 trillion for infrastructure – in stimulus and infrastructure spending plans, equivalent to nearly a quarter of GDP. Economically, in the medium term, the US is set to have the fastest recovery ahead of Europe and Japan, though not China.

Given bipartisan support for US foreign and national security policies, Biden has retained many of Trump’s hard-line actions on China. If anything, the tone has sharpened in maintaining China tariffs, sanctions and the decoupling of technology and reshoring of manufacturing.

The second phase of Biden’s foreign policy is his decisions to pull out of Afghanistan and make overtures to Iran. The Afghanistan war is the longest in American history and has ended exactly as the Korean and Vietnam wars – in defeat disguised as withdrawal. The history books have been proved right: Afghanistan is a graveyard for empires, from Alexander the Great’s army to the British to the Russians to American military might today.

What the latest Afghanistan war proved is that intervening with “humanitarian” intentions can end in worse human right abuses by destroying families, communities and even nations. This tragedy has been repeated time and again – in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Syria – with neighbouring countries teetering on the brink of failure amid refugee influxes, overwhelmed infrastructure and, today, the pandemic catastrophe.

Simply put, the strategy behind the Climate Summit was to regain the moral high ground that Trump ceded by signalling a global race to the top on climate action, rather than a race to the bottom through another arms race. However, both will likely be pursued.

Three points stand out from Biden’s maiden 100 days. First, the funding commitment to help the rest of the world tackle climate change is minimal. Doubling current US climate financing of $2.5 billion to $5.7 billion by 2024 is a mere 0.03 per cent of 2020 GDP – hardly generous compared to the 1948 Marshall Plan of $12 billion or 4.3 per cent of GDP. Furthermore, this aid amounts to 0.3 per cent of the $175 billion in US weapons exported last year, or 0.19 per cent of the $3 trillion in quantitative easing created by the Fed last year.

Second, on what moral or legal grounds can the US justify condoning Japan’s move to dump millions of gallons of Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean without the approval of those affected? Does transparency in doing bad things make them right?

Third, fixing the domestic economy by relying mainly on foreign funding with a US net liability to the rest of the world of $14 trillion, or 67 per cent of GDP, is highly risky. As former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has warned, the large stimulus package will in the short run lift the economy, but at the cost of growing inflation risks. Any interest rate hikes will kill the asset bubbles and may trigger the next financial crisis.

In essence, Biden is trying to steer what American futurologist Buckminster Fuller called in 1978 the Critical Path of Spaceship Earth between two existential threats of nuclear destruction or climate burning. In the TV series Star Trek, the USS Enterprise ventured into deep space where no man has gone before, fully armed to the teeth, but with the Prime Directive of Non-Interference in alien societies’ development.

President Biden has boldly and rightly staked his reputation on saving the planet through climate action.

As planetary citizens, we salute him. We will watch the next episode with great anticipation.

Andrew Sheng comments on global affairs from an Asian perspective. The views expressed are his own.

Published : April 27, 2021

By : The Nation