The World Bank has approved $50 million in emergency financing to help Myanmar improve its hospital system to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

Citizens across the South-East Asia region have consistently resorted to online shopping practices in the last few months but, according to some studies, dissatisfaction with delays and lack of communication would be high.

With China–US tensions and geopolitical turbulence increasing, many in the Asia-Pacific have looked at how ASEAN would respond to remain united, central and relevant. The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) report is a response to the rising contention between great powers as well as a lens for ASEAN’s future priorities.

No country in Southeast Asia will be immune to the tough economic and health impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It will be crucial to be prepared for the worst.

The Japanese government has unveiled a $2.4 billion fund to finance local companies that move their manufacturing production from China to Japan or Southeast Asia.

South China's Guangdong Province saw its trade with ASEAN countries grow by 7.7% year on year in the first quarter, while its total foreign trade volume dropped due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The ASEAN became Guangdong's biggest trade partner in the quarter, with trade volume accounting for 16 percent of the province's total commerce.

The government in Phnom Penh is strongly focusing on the renewable energy sector, with a particular focus on solar energy. However, Cambodia is also closely linked to the use of resources such as coal and hydropower.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, some 77 new factories, including 34 garment, footwear, and travel goods factories, have opened in Cambodia in the first quarter of 2020. According to official sources, these factories have created around 27,000 jobs.

Night clubs and bars are an important sector for the Thai economy. With the issuing of measures of social distancing and restriction of movements, the sector is in serious difficulty. Government plans aid for bars and restaurants, but recovery prospects uncertain.

The Vietnamese government has begun to relax the severe social distancing measures to allow the country to begin a new recovery phase. The careful management of the health emergency by the authorities seems to be having its effects, offering a significant advantage to the Vietnamese economy.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, Vietnam is expected to be the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia this year. The government has intervened with a credit support package of more than $10 billion and growth is expected to pick up strongly in the coming years.

Philippine authorities have officially protested against Chinese aggressiveness in South China Sea. China's recent assertive moves in the area, in the midst of a health and economic emergency, have raised criticism from several Southeast Asian countries and the United States.

Japanese electronics company NEC has won a contract worth about 190 million dollars to supply a radar satellite to Vietnam. The Vietnamese authorities are therefore looking at Japan for support in the development of satellite production and management systems.

Vietnam lodged a formal protest after Beijing announced the establishment of two new administrative units in the South China Sea islands. The Vietnamese authorities are urging China to respect Vietnam's sovereignty and not to violate international law

The Vietnamese textile sector is struggling with a sudden drop in orders that could have serious consequences for large clothing manufacturers. If the health emergency continues for a long time, many manufacturing companies may go bankrupt, giving Vietnam, but also the global value chains of fast fashion giants like Zara and H&M, an hard time