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As the first month of 2020
draws to a close, it
is becoming increasingly clear to me that the year
will be far more turbulent than I had expected.
The spread of the deadly coronavirus shows no
signs of slowing. When our cover story on the outbreak
went online on Wednesday, Jan. 29, we wrote
that the number of confirmed
cases totaled
4,593, with 106 deaths. Two days later, the
numbers had
already surged to 9,692 and 213,
respectively. By the time you receive
this letter,
those numbers will probably feel like something
from the
distant past.
But even though the figures will have changed,
it is a must-read story
and provides a comprehensive overview of the risks posed by the virus.
It
also offers context by examining high-profile
outbreaks from the past,
including SARS,
MERS and Ebola. Otto von Bismarck, the
"iron-blooded" German chancellor, once said
, "Fools say
they learn from experience; I prefer to
learn from the experience of others."
I believe that
reports like ours will help us measure and forecast
the
impact of the novel coronavirus.
Although Chinese President Xi Jinping appears
to be trying hard to learn
from his country's history
with the SARS outbreak, his actions proved to
have
come too late. According to a paper published in the prestigious New
England Journal of Medicine, "there is evidence that human-to-human transmission has
occurred
among close contacts since the middle of
December
2019." If Beijing had acted faster,
we probably could have avoided,
or at least curbed,
this massive outbreak.
For the latest information, please visit our
website to receive frequent
updates. We have
a special "Coronavirus Outbreak"
page dedicated
to coverage of the topic. If you are a
risk-taker
who prefers to lean against the wind, one story
I strongly
recommend is
"Investors
seek drugmakers in rush to treat coronavirus."
Amid this scare, it wouldn't surprise me if many
of you prefer staying
home to going out. It's perhaps
fitting, then, that our Industry in Focus
story this
week looks at India's food delivery business.
If, as
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos predicts, "the 21st
century is
going to be the Indian century," we
should keep a close watch on two
food delivery
giants, Zomato and Swiggy.
Our Asia Insight story this week -- "Economic Jihad"
-- is about an Indonesian entrepreneur who runs convenience stores catering
to Muslims. It provides fascinating insights into the economy and society
in Indonesia, where, as one person in the story says,
"Muslims are
the majority, but they're at the bottom
of the pyramid."
For weekend reading, we have a sweet story for you -- literally. It's
about chocolate made from
Taiwanese cacao.
The island is famous for its tapioca milk tea
(or bubble tea) and pineapple cakes, but don't underestimate its chocolate.
According to the story,
Taiwan garnered seven gold, 26 silver and
five
bronze medals at the International
Chocolate Awards World Final in 2019.
You should try it.
Shigesaburo Okumura
Editor-in-chief, Nikkei Asian Review
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