Showing 11 - 20 of 210
Too lax on Covid curbs?
Oped, Editorial, Published on 06/01/2023
» This Sunday, the Great Wall of Covid quarantine in China finally will be lifted, with millions of Chinese travellers set to make their first overseas trip in three years after an outbound travel ban that has been in place since January 2020.
Revamp 7-day campaign
Oped, Editorial, Published on 20/12/2022
» The New Year is just under two weeks away, and after almost three years of living under Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, many people are expected to travel to celebrate. This will be the first time in a while that people will feel free to travel and enjoy life to the fullest without the fear of being infected with the coronavirus. Yet, it also means that more road accidents are expected, particularly on highways, rural roads, and in big cities.
Life, liberty and lost China output
Oped, Published on 15/12/2022
» The anti-quarantine protests that erupted across China last month highlight the gulf between the Chinese people and Communist Party leaders regarding the necessity of the strict zero-Covid policy. Given the obvious disconnect, it is worth examining how and why the authorities and the public have grown so far apart in their assessment of the policy's costs and benefits.
Let's make a New Year Covid-19 resolution
Life, Arusa Pisuthipan, Published on 05/12/2022
» Thailand embraces the last month of 2022 not with a winter breeze but with a surge in Covid-19 cases -- a result of a dip in temperatures and increased crowd gatherings, not to mention loosened preventive measures against the infectious disease.
No easy exit from 'zero-Covid'
Oped, Published on 30/11/2022
» Following a deadly fire in a residential building in China's Xinjiang region -- which many blame on Covid-19 lockdowns -- Chinese protesters have taken to the streets to demand an end to stringent pandemic restrictions. Even before the protests erupted, there were signs that President Xi Jinping's administration was preparing to roll back the costly zero-Covid policy, though the exact timeline remains uncertain. But this process will be more complicated than many seem to realise.
How Xi can strengthen China's economy
Oped, Published on 15/10/2022
» Xi Jinping is poised to become the first three-term president in Chinese history when the Communist Party of China's 20th National Congress starts tomorrow. That gives an opportune time to take stock of his economic-policy record from the past ten years and explore some obvious steps to improve economic performance in the next term.
Focus on low-carbon tourism
Life, Pattarawadee Saengmanee, Published on 19/09/2022
» This month, Thailand launched long-term resident visas, allowing affluent and high-income foreigners to stay in the country for up to 10 years to boost the economy and tourism. Approximately 400 people filed for the visa in the first 12 days, indicating considerable demand.
Geoeconomics of the US-China tech war
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 16/09/2022
» Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival in Central Asia this week in his first overseas travel in nearly three years is perhaps the most consequential irony of the coronavirus pandemic. As the place where the deadly pandemic began in early 2020, China was the first to swiftly and successfully suppress and contain Covid-19 within weeks, while its counterparts in North America and Europe languished for months under mounting death tolls and hospitalisations.
Can China correct course on Covid, like Vietnam?
News, Shuli Ren, Published on 18/08/2022
» The world's two largest Communist countries have a lot in common. Just over a year ago, Vietnam's party leaders gave General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong an unprecedented third five-year term as the top leader, crediting him with successfully containing the Covid-19 pandemic. China's President Xi Jinping is poised to win a third term as well later this year. Both countries waived politicians' age limits for their supreme leaders.
Rail project needs transparency
News, Editorial, Published on 14/08/2022
» A little over 23 kilometres separate the small provincial town of Nong Khai and Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The distance may seem inconsequential, but this border area is critical to the success of the China-Singapore high-speed railway, part of Beijing's One Belt One Road logistic plan to link China with Asean. Yet the ambitious plan, unveiled in 2010, has been sputtering for nearly a decade, especially in Thailand.