East Asia’s underlying regional identity has always emerged in moments of crisis. The current pandemic provides an opportunity to more formally develop the mechanisms of community.

With the global COVID-19 crisis quickly escalating, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has had to accept a hard truth, rightly taking the initiative in telling the Diet (parliament) this week that the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games may need to be rescheduled, and ultimately reaching an agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the event until 2021.

The two countries followed dramatically different paths in managing the pandemic, inviting comparisons of their governance models. Certainly, this is a test of leadership. The country that drives the international response will be in the driver’s seat in reshaping globalization.

Can the premier forum for international coordination, survive the turbulence created by the confluence of nationalism and COVID-19? Or will it be relegated to a diminished role? The answer isn’t clear.

The COVID-19 pandemic could ignite economic calamity in the foreseeable future. It will require policymakers around the globe to engage in cooperation to halt a crisis before it is too late.

COVID-19 bodes ill not only for the global economy, but for Donald Trump’s re-election and U.S.-China relations at large.

Back in January, I predicted that the spread of the new COVID-19 coronavirus in China would reach a turning point by the second or third week of February.

A major test of the global governance system and the governance systems and capacities of individual countries is unfolding before our eyes as the coronavirus pandemic envelops the globe.

COVID-19’s impact on Chinese manufacturing has had ripple effects around the world, and the Philippines is no exception. The potential long-term damage that the pandemic can do to the Philippine economy may necessitate amendments to the Philippine portion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

China is keen to play a bigger role in Britain’s post-Brexit future, particularly in infrastructure and investment projects. However, China’s deeper involvement may face political and infrastructural challenges and a steep learning curve for Chinese businesses.