| Abstract: | Kenji Shibuya and coauthors discuss the potential contribution of East Asian countries to global health in the light of COVID-19.Summary points- East Asia, comprising the 10 ASEAN countries, China, Japan, and the countries of the Korean peninsula, has achieved comparatively good outcomes during the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
- This can be explained by sociological imprinting of and learning from past outbreaks, as well as competent governance.
- Concomitantly, East Asian nations have also been expanding capacity in global health development and diplomatic outreach, although there is as yet no coherent regional bloc vision, shared strategy, or a common set of operating principles, thus limiting synergistic impact.
- We believe that concrete next steps to bolster cooperation and extend influence could include the establishment of an East Asian Center for Disease Control, joint work in health and human security by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank, and a region-wide research funding programme.
- Much, however, depends on evolving geopolitics writ large, notably the instability and reorientation of global alliances, which have the potential to adversely affect relations between neighbouring East Asian member states.
- Health diplomacy for global human security has the potential to become a stabilising influence and can be a topic around which all actors can more comfortably rally.
While the constituent countries of East Asia share common elements of history and culture, there is great diversity and rapid transition in social systems, economic development, demography, and epidemiological profiles (S1 Table). These factors fundamentally lead to the full range of major global health challenges, including those concerning epidemics and pandemics of novel and reemerging pathogens.Here, in the light of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), we discuss East Asia’s experience in this and past major outbreaks, its capacity and willingness to share best practice and support global health development, and the regional bloc’s potential in reshaping the global architecture for human security.Geographically and ethnoculturally, East Asia has conventionally referred to the region comprising China, Japan, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), and Mongolia. More recently, the term has been broadened to encompass Southeast Asia (viz the 10 member states of ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations), largely due to expanded regional economic cooperation and latterly for geopolitical reasons. |
