Emanuele Scimia

Communist Party leaders fear incidents similar to those that broke out on the border between Hubei and Jiangxi. While fighting the pandemic, law enforcement agencies must be loyal to the regime. The cases in Inner Mongolia, Henan and Sichuan. "Social stability" is the fundamental concern for the CCP.

Under a government directive, all studies on Covid-19 will need to be screened by central authorities. The government is attempting to control what is said about the epidemic and push through the idea that it did not originate in China. Wuhan's doctors were the first to be gagged.

In absolute first, a dissident from the North wins a majority seat in South Korea. A candidate for the conservative front, Thae is critical of the South Korean president's openings to Pyongyang. Moon Jae-in, however, wins: thanks to successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the fight against coronavirus, the "unofficial" China must be heard. The many activists who sought the truth about the epidemic must be remembered. Academics who defend the regime’s work are criticised. Many in China no longer accept the terror under Communist Party rule.

World GDP will record -3% growth in 2020: in Asia it will stop at zero. Collapse of Japan and strong slowdown of India. China will grow by 1.2%, the worst since 1976. Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises have lost 70% of their earnings. Tokyo and Washington evaluate "decoupling" with Beijing. The Fund wants greater cooperation.

A campaign of xenophobia developed in Guangdong with African residents forced to submit to mandatory testing and quarantine. A McDonald’s restaurant in Guangzhou banned "black people" from entering. Some have been evicted from their homes, forced to live in the streets. Embarrassed, Chinese authorities have run for cover as Africa plays a central role in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Exports plummet by over 17% in the first two months of 2020. 70% of Chinese companies have restarted production, but without foreign orders. Imports also drop. Domestic consumption stagnates. Upwards of 250 million jobs lost

The government-imposed quarantine has endangered the lives of millions of people, especially migrant workers. Activists in Gujarat help the least with food, medicine and legal assistance. Support for victims of ethno-religious violence in West Bengal. In Pune, a Hindu teacher and a Muslim create a food bank for day laborers.

Migrants live crammed into 43 dormitories. Some 500 dorm residents have been infected, a quarter of all cases in the country. Some 24,000 people are under observation. The pandemic hit two dormitories. What is happening in the city-state could happen in other countries in Asia and Africa.

Prices only grew 4.3 per cent in March. Without foreign demand, Chinese products go unsold. Maritime container shipping dropped by 20 to 30 per cent. For analysts, China's GDP will decline by 6 per cent in the first quarter. The OPEC-Russia agreement won’t help Chinese manufacturing.

Vietnam claims that one of its fishing boats was sunk by a Chinese vessel in disputed waters. Last year, the same happened to a Philippine boat. The Chinese are increasing their presence in waters claimed by the Philippines. Despite this, Duterte wants to reduce tensions with China.

The incentive is part of the $ 989 billion stimulus launched to avoid a recession. The government is also pushing to move production from China to Southeast Asia. The Japanese aim to reduce dependence on the Chinese market. Problems for future relations between the two countries. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has calculated that world trade will collapse between 13 and 32% in 2020 on the back of the coronavirus epidemic.