Asian Insider, May 5: M’sia charts way forward, China’s losing friends, social unrest hits India, and Asia’s deadly hornets arrive in US

Asian Insider brings you insights into a fast-changing region from our network of correspondents.

Hi all,

In today's bulletin:

Malaysia unveils a six-step plan, China faces Tiananmen-like global backlash, India struggles to contain protests, Singapore retail sales plunge most in 22 years, baby-making urged in Vietnam, and more.

Reading this on the web or know someone who might enjoy receiving Asian Insider? Our sign-up page is here.

MALAYSIA'S SIX-STEP PLAN

As normal life resumed - albeit cautiously - in Malaysia, its Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled a six-pronged strategy in his government's battle to combat the effects of the new coronavirus on both its people and the economy.

The six steps - dubbed the six 'R's - encompass (i) resolving to stop the spread of the virus by controlling people's movement, (ii) ensuring the resilience of the economy, (iii) restarting it in an orderly manner, (iv) implementing an economic recovery plan, (v) revitalising the economy, and (vi) structurally reforming it in a post-Covid-19 world.

Some of the administration's latest directives have been met with contention, however. The chief ministers of Sabah and Penang argued that they are trying to save lives over the economy, after Senior Minister Azmin Ali warned uncooperative state governments that they could be sued for ignoring a central order to let businesses reopen.

Also read:

Malaysians and foreigners entering country via Johor must still be quarantined

In pictures:

Malaysia eases lockdown as some businesses reopen

CHINA'S RISING UNPOPULARITY

China's top leaders were warned in an internal report that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The rising wave of hostility against the nation in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic could tip relations with the US into confrontation, according to the report.

In the latest development in the US-China row over the origin of the coronavirus, China's state broadcaster CCTV slammed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's "insane" remarks in which he claimed the United States held "enormous evidence" showing that the virus had come from a Chinese laboratory.

The harshly worded commentary titled "Evil Pompeo is wantonly spewing poison and spreading lies" cited World Health Organisation executive director Mike Ryan and Columbia University virologist W. Ian Lipkin, who said the virus was neither man-made nor leaked from a lab. The WHO said Mr Pompeo's remarks were "speculative" and called for a science-based inquiry.

Go deeper:

Global affairs correspondent Benjamin Kang Lim writes: US piles pressure on China as ties at their worst since normalisation in 1979

Read more:

EU to propose investigation into coronavirus origins, Australia says

SOCIAL UNREST IN INDIA

State governments across India rushed to restore order after migrant workers clashed with police and brawls erupted outside liquor shops as the country started easing its stringent six-week lockdown.

In the western state of Gujarat, angry migrant workers, who had until now been stuck in shuttered factories, pelted police with stones as the enforcement officials unleashed tear gas on them. Delhi, the national capital, slapped a 70 per cent "special corona fee" tax on all alcohol to deter large crowds that had flocked to liquor shops when they reopened on Monday. Mumbai, the financial capital, ordered standalone shops to issue tokens to customers to avoid overcrowding.

In other news from India:

Country embarks on 'massive' coronavirus repatriation

COVID-19 CURBS HIT SHOPS

Singapore's retail sales in March plunged 13.3 per cent - the most since 1998 and the 14th straight month of decline - on the back of lower earnings from food and beverage services and most consumer categories. Analysts are forecasting more gloom, expecting April's takings to be worse, since the circuit breaker measures kicked in only last month.

Supermarkets, food deliveries and digital services saw a surge in credit card spending in the first three months of the year, with some banks reporting at least a twofold increase. Travel spending, though, fell dramatically. Local retailers will have to adapt to people's new shopping habits amid a less vibrant post-coronavirus landscape. Those that fail to respond in time will die, Tiffany Fumiko Tay writes.

TO EASE, OR NOT TO EASE?

South Korea is set to reopen its schools and public facilities on Wednesday as its coronavirus outbreak tapers off. High school seniors will start school on May 13, while the rest will follow in phases, South Korea correspondent Chang May Choon reports.

Hong Kong, which has seen fewer new coronavirus cases in recent days, is also considering easing its social distancing measures, most of which expire on Thursday. Local reports have cited sources as saying theatres, gyms and beauty parlours may soon be allowed to reopen, Hong Kong correspondent Claire Huang writes. Restarting some businesses would help the city's ailing economy, which shrank the most since 1974 in the first quarter.

In Japan, whose economy has also been hit hard by the pandemic, businesses in Tokyo will be asked to refrain from operating until the end of the month. Foreign workers are feeling the pain of job cuts as factories scale back production. The country's state of emergency was on Monday extended to May 31, Japan correspondent Walter Sim reports.

IN OTHER NEWS

'DRIER THAN USUAL' IN INDONESIA: The country's farms and plantations will likely see a worse dry season than usual, Indonesia President Joko Widido said, as he ordered measures to ensure food security and price stability. Officials have been instructed to retain rainwater and fill reservoirs in key food-producing regions.

VIETNAM'S IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE - AND BABIES: Young Vietnamese people are being urged to marry before they turn 30 and start having babies earlier, amid concerns about low birth rates in some parts of the country. Local authorities have been told to offer dating clubs and marriage consultants.

ASIA'S 'MURDEROUS' HORNETS MIGRATE TO US: Hundreds of Asian giant hornets - an invasive, predatory insect - have been found in Washington state, where they pose a threat to humans and the beekeeping industry. The stinging Vespa mandarinia, which is native to Southeast Asia, China and Taiwan, kills up to 50 people a year in Japan.

That's it for today. Thank you for reading. Stay home if you can, mask up when you're out, and check back for more insightful reads tomorrow.

Magdalene

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.