Global Developments and Analysis: Weekly Monitor, 26 October- 01 November

Economic

Tech Startups Say New Pay Rules for H-1B Visas Are Unaffordable

New rules from the Trump administration restricting skilled foreign workers are unnerving U.S. start up hubs, as founders and investors say the limitations will hamstring their ability to recruit top-tier talent to grow their businesses. The changes to the H-1B visa program announced in October will make qualifying for the work visas much tougher and compel employers to pay foreign workers drastically higher wages. Many salaries under the new rules start at $208,000, even for inexperienced workers. Nearly a third of all venture-backed startups are founded by immigrants, according to a 2016 report from the National Bureau of Economic Research. More than half of startups valued at $1 billion or more have at least one immigrant founder, according to a 2018 paper from the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonpartisan think tank. Some founders say they are shifting hiring and growth plans away from the U.S., establishing engineering hubs in Eastern Europe and sending new recruits from American universities who would require a U.S. visa to work instead at satellite offices in Canada. Click here to read... [2]

Chinese cities race for subsidies in fuel cell gold rush

China's push to promote hydrogen fuel cells as the next big thing in the auto industry has led to a slew of ambitious plans to develop the sector as local authorities vie for hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives. The Chinese government has subsidized purchases of fuel cell vehicles for some time. A hydrogen-powered bus, for example, can qualify for as much as $100,000 in local and central government incentives in some cases. Yet a total of just 7,200 or so fuel cell vehicles had been sold as of this past July. The government is shifting its approach, focusing on support for related areas such as parts and hydrogen fuelling stations, which are seen as essential for bringing fuel cells into broader use. Under a new program announced last month, certain municipalities will be designated as "model cities," with each receiving up to 1.7 billion yuan in funding for fuel cell vehicle development over four years. China seeks to make all new autos sold in the country "eco-friendly" by 2035, with "new-energy vehicles" such as electrics and hydrogen-powered cars making up half the total, according to a road map announced on Oct 27Click here to read... [3]

Moon bets high on future mobility as economic driver

President Moon Jae-in announced on Oct 30, a plan to strengthen Korea's presence in the future mobility market, highlighting the next five years will be a "golden time" for the country to secure a leading position. As part of the initiative, the government will invest 20 trillion won in the eco-mobility sector by 2025, and Oct 30's policy package was part of the initiative. As of September, the country has approximately 59,000 EV charging facilities, and the government plans to increase the number to 500,000 by 2025. To do so, it will raise the mandatory number of parking spaces with charging stations in new buildings from 0.5 percent of the total area this year to 5 percent in 2022, as well as installing 15,000 charging stations at highway rest areas. To expand the use of hydrogen vehicles, the government said it will set up 450 hydrogen filling stations by 2025, especially in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province. Moon said all new vehicle purchases by the government and public institutions will be either EV or hydrogen EV from next year. Click here to read... [4]

Ambitious but controversial: Japan's new hydrogen project

Japan's new 2050 deadline for carbon neutrality has thrown a spotlight on its efforts to find new, greener fuel options, including an ambitious but controversial liquid hydrogen venture. The Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) is a joint Japanese-Australian project intended to produce plentiful, affordable fuel for Japan. The hydrogen will be produced and liquified in the Australian state of Victoria, where it will be extracted from a type of coal known as lignite. The project's pilot phase, partially funded by Japanese and Australian authorities, has received investment of around A$500 million (US$350 million). From next year, a site on an artificial island near Kobe in western Japan will become the pilot terminus for the world's first ship designed to transport liquid hydrogen, a Japan-built vessel called the Suiso Frontier. If the tests are successful by 2022 or 2023, the project will be extended and will enter a commercial phase after 2030. Hydrogen's green credentials depend largely on how it is produced. Every tonne of hydrogen produced from coal emits 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide, more than double the CO2 emissions created when hydrogen is produced from natural gas. Click here to read... [5]

Foreign Investment Plummets During Pandemic, Except in China

Foreign direct investment in China largely held steady during the first half of this year, even as investment inflows into the U.S. and European Union plummeted, in a fresh sign that the world’s second-largest economy has suffered less damage from the pandemic. While foreign investment in the U.S. and European Union fell by 61% and 29% respectively, inflows to China were down by just 4%. China attracted foreign investment totalling $76 billion during the period, while the U.S. attracted $51 billion. Back in March, when China was the epicenter of the pandemic with significant parts of its economy in lockdown, Unctad forecast that it would be the big loser, and expected global flows of investment to fall by 15% across 2020. However, China’s economy reopened in April just as the U.S. and Europe were in lockdown, and the country has since contained the virus with only localized and short-lived restrictionsClick here to read... [6]

China Stresses Reliance on Its Own Technologies in Five-Year Plan

“Technology self-reliance is the strategic support for national development,” said a communiqué released on Oct 29 by a closed-door conclave of senior Communist Party officials. The four-day meeting, held at a heavily guarded government hotel in western Beijing, was chaired by President Xi Jinping and attended by roughly 360 top officials. It laid out the plan for the years through 2025 at a time when China is gearing up for what leaders call a “protracted battle” with the U.S. The plan overall comes with an inward-turning tone, stressing the need to prioritize domestic markets. Citing new challenges brought about by the complex international environment, the official communique urged the ruling Communist Party to “maintain strategic resolve and manage our own affairs well.” Detailed action plans, Chinese officials say, will be fleshed out this spring, when China’s legislature is due to rubber-stamp the new plan. For now, it represents broad outlines of Mr. Xi’s effort to reshape the economy so that it can be driven more by internal forces. Click here to read... [7]

China asks banks to suspend counter-cyclical factor in yuan fixing: Reuters

China's central bank has neutralized the counter-cyclical factor in its daily yuan midpoint fixing, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, in a move to let the fixing more closely reflect actual currency market moves. The Chinese currency has strengthened against the dollar over recent months as foreign capital inflows have sped up and economic fundamentals have improved. The onshore yuan has gained more than 6% against the dollar since late May. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) has asked some of the 14 midpoint contributing banks to submit and adjust their models to better reflect flexibility in the exchange rate and let the currency become more market-driven, one of the sources said. The counter-cyclical factor is the adjustment that contributing banks make to the daily trade-weighted reference rate that the PBOC uses to guide the Yuan. The central bank lowered the reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions when conducting some foreign exchange forwards trading to zero earlier this month. Click here to read... [8]

China launches crackdown on mobile web browsers, decries 'chaos' of information

China's top cyber authority said on Oct 26 it would carry out a "rectification" of Chinese mobile internet browsers to address what it called social concerns over the "chaos" of information being published online. China's strict internet censorship rules have been tightened numerous times in recent years and in the latest crackdown, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has told firms operating mobile browsers that they have until Nov. 9 to conduct a "self-examination" and rectify problems. The problems include the spreading of rumours, the use of sensationalist headlines and the publishing of content that violates the core values of socialism, it said in a statement. "For some time, mobile browsers have grown in an uncivilised way ... and have become a gathering place and amplifier for dissemination of chaos by 'self-media'," the CAC said, referring to independently operated social media accounts, many of which publish news. Click here to read... [9]

Google ad costs, not its alleged monopoly, irk businesses

Companies covet the top spots in Google search results – the first page of rankings, and the top of subsequent pages. But if too many companies vie for one of these spots, the cost can jump out of reach for a small business, just like the price for prime-time TV commercials. Google controls about 90 per cent of global Internet searches. The Justice Department sued Google, alleging it uses monopoly power in search to squelch competition. Business owners' concerns about the cost of advertising aren't directly related to the government's lawsuit, although the company's dominance of the search market has been alleged to be a factor in driving up the price to buy ads in its vast digital marketing network. But even if prices were lower than they are now, larger companies with more money to spend, in theory, could always outbid smaller businesses vying for the prime advertising spots on Google. Click here to read... [10]

World's biggest IPO, but the success of Jack Ma's empire is not a given

Alibaba is an economic indicator all its own, one offering deeper insights that Beijing's official gross domestic product figures. With its reach in e-commerce, supply chains, internet use and technology trends, no entity is more on the front lines of China's zigs and zags. Four more years of Trump is perhaps the last thing both Ant and Alibaba want. Ma will be directly in Trump's crosshairs in a second term. But even during a Biden presidency, the behemoths Ma built will be the vanguard of the two biggest questions about Xi's government. One, can it avoid the economic reckoning that befalls all industrializing nations? Two, can Ma stay in Beijing's good favour? Shareholders may think Alibaba management works for them, but the real overlords are party bigwigs in Beijing. Though Ma has officially stepped away from the Hangzhou-based giant's board, handing control to Daniel Zhang, Beijing pays very close attention to Ma's fealty to the motherland. That tension is playing out at the South China Morning Post, which Ma bought in 2015. Its Hong Kong newsroom is a microcosm of Ma's struggle to straddle Beijing's idiosyncrasies and the outside world. Click here to read... [11]

China's Xiaomi surpasses Apple as world's No. 3 smartphone maker

China's Xiaomi has surpassed Apple for the first time to become the world's third-largest smartphone maker by shipments in the July-September quarter, edging the American tech giant out of global top three for the first time in 10 years, three key market data providers said. The world's top three smartphone companies are now all from Asia, according to Canalys, IDC and Counterpoint Research. The latest statistics come as Apple on Oct 29 posted a 29% year-on-year drop in revenue in the Chinese market for the three months through September. Xiaomi's milestone came as the global smartphone industry recorded a 4% decline in the same period as many consumers held off from buying a handset until the launch of the first ever 5G iPhone, which was delayed to mid-October. Xiaomi also benefited from the headwinds facing its biggest domestic rival Huawei Technologies, which is losing ground in the overseas market due to the U.S. crackdown on the company. Click here to read... [12]

Strategic

US and India seek strategic partnership regardless of Trump, Biden

On Oct 26, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in New Delhi to meet with Indian counterparts Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh ahead of Oct 27's joint "two plus two" meeting -- the third joint U.S.-India Ministerial Dialogue in just over two years -- where India signed a military agreement with the U.S. for sharing of sensitive satellite data. "Wheels up for my trip to India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia," Pompeo tweeted on Oct 25. "Grateful for the opportunity to connect with our partners to promote a shared vision for a free and open #IndoPacific composed of independent, strong, and prosperous nations." Esper had tweeted a similar agenda on Oct 24: "In the #IndoPacific, the US is strengthening alliances and partnerships by deepening interoperability, expanding deterrent networks, and executing maritime security and awareness operations that reinforce a rules-based international order." The trip by two of the most senior cabinet officials in the Trump administration, just a week before the Nov. 3 election, is unconventional. Click here to read... [13]

Indo-Pacific's military equipment buying spree risks arms race

Global arms exports are on the rise. From the Middle East to Southeast Asia, emerging economies are building up their arsenals. This time, unlike during the Cold War, weapons export countries are marketing their products with more of a business mindset than a political one, but if these weapons are implemented, they could trigger an arms race and exacerbate regional tensions. Arms imports are increasing in the Middle East. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Qatar's arms imports in the 2010s were 15.6 times higher than in the 2000s, while Saudi Arabia's imports increased 6.6 times in the same period. In Southeast Asia, where tensions are rising in the South China Sea, Vietnam's imports have increased 6.7 times and Indonesia's 2.5 times over the same period. The economic growth of Indo-Pacific nations is driving the demand for arms. Nikkei analyzed the military expenditure of 68 countries and regions with spending of more than $1 billion in 2018. When comparing the data with 2009, there was a clear correlation between the nations' economic growth and increase in money spent on arms. Click here to read... [14]

Pentagon Draw-Down at U.S. Embassies Prompts Concern About Ceding Field to Global Rivals

The Pentagon has quietly begun withdrawing top military officers from U.S. embassies in Africa and downgrading other such posts world-wide, a move officials say is necessary to shift resources to counter China and Russia on the geopolitical stage and meet congressional caps on the number of generals and admirals in the U.S. military. The position of defense attaché, the senior U.S. military representative in American diplomatic posts, is being downgraded in rank in eight key allied countries—including the U.K. and Saudi Arabia—according to an Aug. 24 order signed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The law ordered the Pentagon to cut the number of senior officers by 110 general or admiral positions by December 2022 but didn’t dictate where the reductions would occur. Replacing a U.S. one- or two-star general or admiral defense attaché with a colonel or a Navy captain might seem like a simple bureaucratic move. But it could reduce U.S. access and clout in countries where status and rank are important to build trust with local military officers, current and former officials said. Click here to read... [15]

‘Walk the talk,’ Beijing tells Washington, as military chiefs discuss tensions in South China Sea amidst Pompeo’s Asian tour

Washington has refuted reports claiming it was preparing a drone attack on disputed Chinese islands, Beijing’s Defense Ministry says, with the two nations holding talks amid increasing naval deployments and diplomatic turmoil. US and China military chiefs held meetings over video conference on October 28-29, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian confirmed on Oct 29. He stated that US Defense Secretary Mark Esper had denied reports that Washington was considering a drone assault on Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Allegations of possible drone strikes were made by the Chinese media after the US military publicly showed off a simulated island assault exercise featuring a red silhouette of China on air personnel’s uniforms. It was also reported that senior officials would speak again via video conference in November and December, discussing humanitarian aid and maritime security. Click here to read... [16]

‘In the spirit of goodwill’: Moscow won’t deploy controversial 9M729 missiles in European Russia if NATO reciprocates, says Putin

Russia will delay deployment of its much debated 9M729 missiles in the European part of its territory, as a goodwill gesture, if NATO takes reciprocal steps. Oct 26's proposal comes after the US withdrew from the INF treaty. As part of his stated attempt to de-escalate, Putin also revealed that he wishes to take further steps to minimize the negative consequences of the collapse of the INF Treaty, including an agreement for mutual inspections of missile systems. The president also reiterated Russia's previous promise not to deploy ground-based INF missiles until US-made missiles of similar classes are deployed. On the controversial 9M729 missiles, Putin maintained they are in “full compliance” with the previously existing INF treaty, but still offered not to position them in Europe. “The Russian Federation, nevertheless, is ready, in the spirit of goodwill, to continue not to deploy 9M729 missiles in European Russia, but do so only provided NATO countries take reciprocal steps that preclude the deployment of the weapons earlier prohibited under the INF Treaty in Europe,” the statement read. Click here to read... [17]

France raises national terror alert system to MAXIMUM level after Nice church attack

The French government has placed the entire nation on high alert after three people were killed in a suspected terrorist attack in Nice. Police in Avignon later gunned down an assailant in a separate incident. Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Oct 29 that the country’s Vigipirate national security alert system would be set at “attack emergency,” the highest level of the security protocol. The alert system was raised from “enhanced security – risk of attack,” French media reported. Vigipirate is a French acronym for “vigilance and protection of installations against the risk of terrorist bombing attacks.” Three people were killed hours earlier at a church in Nice. The suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he used a knife to attack the congregation. Later, French media reported that a knife-wielding man was shot and killed after attempting to attack police in the city of Avignon. Click here to read... [18]

Russian Airstrikes Kill Dozens of Turkey-Backed Fighters in Syria, Rebels Say

Russian airstrikes killed dozens of Turkey-backed fighters in north-western Syria on Oct 26, according to a spokesman for the fighters and a commander in the targeted group, in a deadly escalation of violence that puts a fragile cease-fire at risk. Moscow and Ankara, which back opposite sides of the conflict in Syria, agreed in March to a truce in the rebel-held territory, halting a regime offensive that had forced nearly a million people to flee their homes. Despite the agreement, Russia has repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw from areas it occupies in Syria. In Turkey, the airstrikes were interpreted as a signal that Russia is losing patience. Ankara and Moscow are also facing off in other conflicts abroad, including the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, where Turkey has thrown its support behind Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia. Click here to read... [19]

String of Tense Votes Tests Africa’s Democracies

A series of elections across Africa threaten to roll back democracy on the continent and destabilize some of the few economies around the world still projected to grow this year. In the mineral-rich West African nation of Guinea, the army has been deployed against opposition supporters who accuse the government of having rigged an Oct. 18 election that handed President Alpha Condé a controversial third term. Before the end of the year, voters in six more countries in sub-Saharan Africa will head to the polls, testing institutions in regional powerhouses such as Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Ghana and nations such as Burkina Faso, Niger and the Central African Republic, where conflicts are likely to constrain voting. While most of these countries haven’t seen the ballooning coronavirus infections witnessed in the West, disruptions caused by uncertain election results could compound the severe economic damage wrought by government-mandated lockdowns. The votes could reinforce a pattern of African incumbents’ working to cement their power by overhauling constitutions and passing laws aimed at silencing dissent. Click here to read... [20]

Portrait of an election: US race boils down to six swing states

The United States election on Nov 03 is boiling down to a handful of battleground states that Joe Biden must flip in order to snatch the White House from President Donald Trump. All of this year's top swing states - Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, and Wisconsin - went to Trump in 2016, including four that had voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2012. In a sign of how critical they are, Trump travelled to three of them - Michigan, North Carolina, and Florida - on Nov 01 alone, while Biden held two events in Philadelphia. The Democratic challenger leads by an average of 3.2 percentage points in the battlegrounds, according to the RealClearPolitics (RCP) poll aggregate. Click here to read... [21]

Tokyo to crack down on spying in Japan by China, N. Korea

Tokyo police will crack down on covert espionage and other illegal activities by China and North Korea from next spring to counter growing threats to national security, sources said. The Metropolitan Police Department will start by reorganizing its department that handles matters concerning the two countries and increasing staffing numbers. The decision was prompted by China’s request that its citizens actively cooperate with the government’s espionage activities and North Korea’s recent show of upgraded intercontinental ballistic missiles, sources said. The MPD vowed to revamp its foreign affairs division within the public security department to better respond to emergencies.Currently, the division is divided into three sections. One deals mainly with Russia and Europe. Another deals with China and North Korea. The last one deals with international terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State. The second unit will be divided into two, one to deal with China and the other to keep an eye on North Korea. This will mean that the division overall will operate as four separate entities. Click here to read... [22]

China ‘harpooned’ by mega US missile deal with Taiwan

Completely ignoring threats from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, who warned the United States to stop relevant arms sales and military connections with Taiwan, the US State Department sanctioned the sale of up to 400 Boeing-produced Harpoon anti-ship missiles.Looking at it in detail, the package includes up to 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems (HCDS) and related equipment, including up to 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II surface-launched anti-ship missiles, plus four RTM-84L-4 training rounds, The War Zone reported. Also included are 100 HCDS Launcher Transporter Units and 25 radar trucks. In addition — and this will really piss off China — Taiwan would receive various spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training, and training equipment, plus … US government and contractor representatives’ technical assistance, engineering and logistics support services. Click here to read... [23]

Chinese ships spotted near Senkakus for record number of days

Chinese coast guard ships were spotted on Oct 26 near the Japan-controlled Senkakus in the East China Sea, marking a new record for the number of days in a year that Chinese vessels have been seen near the uninhabited islands, the Japan Coast Guard said. Four Chinese ships were spotted in the "contiguous zone" outside Japanese waters, the coast guard said, adding that Chinese vessels have now been observed near the islands, claimed by Beijing, for 283 days this year and also for the 57th day in a row. China has ratcheted up pressure on Japan by sending its vessels into or near Japan's territorial waters around the islands. Last month, Chinese coast guard ships entered Japanese territorial waters near the Senkakus for a record length of time, drawing objections from Tokyo. Click here to read... [24]

Pakistan to upgrade status of part of Kashmir, angering India

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Nov 01 his government will give provisional provincial status to part of Kashmir, drawing condemnation from India, which has long objected to any such changes by Islamabad. Khan's proposal would apply to Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan's only land link to China, which is the northern part of the larger Kashmir region. Although Pakistani officials made no link between India's prior move in Aug 2019 and Khan's proposals, the Pakistani action is likely to be viewed in both countries as a partial tit-for-tat response. Both sides control parts of Kashmir, which is divided between them by a United Nations-mandated "Line of Control". UN observers are still stationed in the region. Khan said the decision was within the scope of the UNSC resolution. He gave no timeframe for its implementation. Such a move would require a constitutional amendment in Pakistan, which must be passed by two-thirds of Pakistan's parliament. Click here to read... [25]

Medical

‘Vital we start now’: WHO reforms should not be left until after Covid-19 pandemic, says German health minister

The German government has called for immediate reforms to the World Health Organization (WHO), with Health Minister Jens Spahn stressing the importance of starting the process now and not wait until the pandemic has passed. The UN health agency should be faster in its response to crises, Spahn added, calling for the WHO’s members to give it more funding and for them to be better at sharing information. Spahn’s call for transparency comes after China was criticized for reportedly withholding vital information from the WHO during the early days of the pandemic, including the coronavirus genome, which scientists allegedly sat on for over a week once they had discovered it, according to the AP press agency. US President Donald Trump was among the more vocal critics of both China and the WHO, with Washington later announcing its withdrawal from the organization, which a US spokesperson said had “failed badly.” Click here to read... [26]

Covid-19 Vaccine Makers See Egypt as Crucial Launchpad

Egypt is emerging as a critical proving ground for global powers seeking to export a coronavirus vaccine to the developing world. Its population of nearly 100 million, vaccine-manufacturing capacity and strategic location have made it an appealing platform for Russian, Chinese and Western vaccine makers. Chinese officials have said they want to make Egypt a hub for manufacturing vaccines for the African market, with a state-run drug-maker having launched a partnership with the country to conduct human trials. Meanwhile, a private Egyptian company has agreed to import tens of millions of vaccine doses in a deal with Russia’s sovereign-wealth fund. Egypt has also been in talks to import millions of doses of the vaccine being developed by researchers at the University of Oxford in partnership with AstraZeneca. All of the deals are pending approval from Egypt’s regulators. Click here to read... [27]

Doctors Begin to Crack Covid’s Mysterious Long-Term Effects

Nearly a year into the global coronavirus pandemic, scientists, doctors, and patients are beginning to unlock a puzzling phenomenon: For many patients, including young ones who never required hospitalization, Covid-19 has a devastating second act. Many are dealing with symptoms weeks or months after they were expected to recover, often with puzzling new complications that can affect the entire body—severe fatigue, cognitive issues and memory lapses, digestive problems, erratic heart rates, headaches, dizziness, fluctuating blood pressure, even hair loss. Doctors call the condition “post-acute Covid” or “chronic Covid,” and sufferers often refer to themselves as “long haulers” or “long-Covid” patients. A leading explanation for long-Covid symptoms is that immune-system activity and ensuing inflammation continue to affect organs or the nervous system even after the virus is gone, researchers said. Click here to read... [28]

Philippines' Duterte wants government-to-government deal for coronavirus vaccines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Oct 27 he would favour a government-to-government deal for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines to prevent the risk of corruption, adding that Manila would not beg other nations for access to vaccines. The Philippines, with its more than 108 million people and among the highest number of COVID-19 infections in Asia, is considered as both a suitable location for clinical trials and a large market for global vaccine manufacturers. "Let me tell everybody that we will not beg, we will pay," Duterte said in a weekly televised address. "To the Chinese government, you need not look for partners, we can make it government-to-government." The Philippine leader later said that while China and Russia appeared to be ahead in the vaccine race, any country that submitted the best offer could be chosen. Click here to read... [29]>

Taiwan marks 200 days without domestic COVID-19 infection

Taiwan hit 200 days without any domestically transmitted cases of COVID-19 on Oct 29, highlighting the island's continued success at keeping the virus under control even as cases surge in other parts of the world. Its success has in part been attributed to acting very early on. Taiwanese officials were checking passengers on flights from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the pandemic began, as early as Dec. 31 for fever and pneumonia symptoms, according to researchers writing in JAMA, a medical journal. On Jan. 20, the government formally initiated the Central Epidemic Command Centre to coordinate the government response between different departments and branches. The government also communicated effectively about the importance of wearing masks, while trying to prevent panic buying and price-gouging by rationing them. The island was also quick to tighten its borders, suspending flights from Wuhan on Jan. 23, and banning the entry of Chinese nationals who reside in Wuhan. Click here to read... [30]