Opinion | Why a sustainable global recovery can’t afford to leave any country behind

The pandemic remains a global challenge. China was the only major economy that managed to avoid contracting during 2020, and even then growth was about a third of its normal level. The recovery in China and the US should not blind us to the fact that the future prosperity of every nation is inextricably tied to the prosperity of all others in an interconnected world.

This is particularly true in Asia, where fates are knitted together by networks of supply chains. If individual nations try to go it alone, without regard for the welfare of their neighbours, it will amplify inequalities between and within countries and hinder the drive to get the continent back to its full potential.

For a truly global and sustained recovery, governments and the private sector around the world need to cooperate in three key sectors. They must ensure access to vaccinations, enact mutually supportive economic policies and – most importantly for ensuring long-term growth – tackle climate change.

That even countries which have been successful in dealing with Covid-19 are struggling to reopen their borders and economies illustrates the importance of raising global vaccination rates.

The problems of vaccine availability and vaccine scepticism are more closely related than they at first seem. As more vaccines become available to more people, especially in emerging economies, the low rate of medical complications is likely to convince more sceptics that it is safe.