BANGKOK: Extreme heat and heavy rain in Myanmar could cause disease outbreaks among earthquake survivors camping in the open, global aid bodies warned on Thursday (Apr 3), complicating rescue efforts made difficult by a civil war, as the death toll surpassed 3,000.

Last Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, jolted a region home to 28 million, toppling buildings such as hospitals, flattening communities and leaving many without food, water and shelter.

Deaths rose to 3,085 on Thursday, with 4,715 injured and 341 missing, the ruling junta said.

The World Health Organization flagged a rising risk of cholera and other diseases in the worst-affected areas, such as Mandalay, Sagaing and the capital of Naypyitaw, while it prepared US$1 million of relief supplies, including body bags.

“Cholera remains a particular concern for all of us,” said Elena Vuolo, the deputy head of its Myanmar office, pointing to an outbreak last year in Mandalay.

The risk was worsened by damage to about half of healthcare facilities in the quake-hit areas, including hospitals destroyed by the quake in Mandalay and Naypyitaw, she added.

People were camping outdoors in temperatures of 38 degree Celsius because they were too scared to go home, and many hospitals were also setting up temporary facilities there, Vuolo told Reuters from Naypyitaw.

Skin disease, malaria and dengue were among the diseases that could result from prolonged crises, such as in Myanmar, she said.

But conditions could get even tougher for the huge relief effort after weather officials warned unseasonal rain from Sunday to Apr 11 could threaten the areas hardest-hit by the quake, such as Mandalay, Sagaing and the capital Naypyidaw.

MANILA: The potential purchase of F-16 jets by the Philippines from the United States does not harm the interests of any third party, including China, a Philippine security official said on Thursday (Apr 3).

National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya assured China the planned acquisition is not intended as a threat to any nation and is merely part of the Philippines’ efforts to modernise its military.

“We would like to assure the People’s Republic of China that the planned procurement of the F-16 fighter jets to the Philippine arsenal does not in any way harm the interest of any third party,” Malaya told a briefing.

The US Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Tuesday that the State Department had approved a possible foreign military sale to the Philippines of 20 F-16 planes for an estimated cost of US$5.58 billion.

The aircraft would boost the Philippine military’s ability to patrol its territory and improve interoperability between their militaries, the Pentagon said.

Malaya said the US government has not officially communicated the approval to the Philippines.

The announcement came after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manila last week, where he reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to its mutual defence treaty with the Philippines and pledged to deploy advanced capabilities to strengthen deterrence against threats, including Chinese “aggression”.

On Wednesday, China warned Manila against the purchase, saying that the Philippines was “threatening” regional peace.

“The Philippines’ defence and security cooperation with other countries should not target any third party or harm the interests of a third party. Nor should it threaten regional peace and security or exacerbate regional tensions,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

China has expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled that China’s claims have no basis under international law, a ruling Beijing does not recognise.

Thailand’s Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said the government was not surprised to be hit with tariffs, though the level was higher than anticipated.

“We have to negotiate with understanding, not aggressive talk, but we have to talk which products they feel are unfair and we have to see whether we can adjust,” he said in a video interview posted online.

Finance ministry officials will meet to discuss steps to mitigate the immediate impact, he said, as well as drawing up guidelines for future negotiations.

“The goal is to develop a trade balance proposal that is substantial enough to incentivise the US to engage in negotiations with Thailand, ensuring minimal disruption to farmers, consumers, and businesses,” Paetongtarn said in an X post on Thursday.

The Thai government is ready to discuss trade balance adjustments with Washington at the “earliest opportunity”, she said.

But analysts were sceptical.

“Thailand’s negotiations may be ineffective since every country is affected by the tariffs,” Jitipol Puksamatanan, Head of Global Investment Strategy at Finansia Syrus Securities, told AFP.

He suggested that Thailand should seek to expand exports to other countries, such as China.

Investment house CGS International said in a briefing note that it expected the tariffs to wipe between 0.9 and 1.2 per cent off Thai GDP in 2025.

Paetongtarn, whose father Thaksin Shinawatra was prime minister in the wake of the late 1990s Asian financial crisis, hosts her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday.

The pair will hold talks ahead of a summit on Friday of the BIMSTEC group of mostly South Asian countries plus Thailand and Myanmar, whose junta chief is making a rare foreign trip to attend.

NEW DELHI: India’s prime minister flew to Bangkok on Thursday (Apr 3) for a regional summit and talks with his Thai counterpart, but made no mention of a widely speculated meeting with Bangladesh’s leader.

Narendra Modi said he would meet with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and attend the BIMSTEC grouping of the seven nations on the Bay of Bengal.

Top representatives of BIMSTEC members – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand – are expected to attend the Bangkok summit.

Bangladeshi media have widely speculated that Modi and Muhammad Yunus will meet in a bid to ease tensions after tit-for-tat barbs between top figures from both governments.

Yunus took charge of Bangladesh in August 2024 after India’s old ally Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister by a student-led uprising and fled to New Delhi.

India was the biggest benefactor of Hasina’s government, and her overthrow sent relations into a tailspin.

Hasina, who remains in India, has defied extradition requests from Bangladesh to face charges including mass murder.

Yunus had sought a meeting with Modi in a bid to reset to relations, with Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar saying the request was “under review”.

Nepali media have said Modi is also expected to meet with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, which would be the first since Kathmandu’s leader returned to power last year. India has not confirmed the meeting.

Modi said he will then head to Sri Lanka for talks with leftist President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, as Colombo grapples with the competing interests of its powerful northern neighbour and China.

Sri Lanka’s presidential office has said Modi will be the first foreign head of government to visit the island nation under the new administration.

Dissanayake’s first foreign visit after his election last year was to New Delhi.

Mr Pua Seck Guan, executive chairman and CEO of Perennial Holdings, said its Tianjin project “opened up a lot of opportunities” for the company.

“Quite a number of cities have actually approached us. So, since then, we have also given the first foreign wholly owned hospital licence in Guangzhou, and we are now looking at doing it in other cities such as Shanghai,” he added.

The Singapore brand has benefited both Perennial Holdings and Raffles Medical Group.

Dr Loo noted: “I think in China, (the branding) helps us. Chinese people … they expect us to be honest, have integrity … And of course, we have to prove that we are trustworthy.”

TENSIONS WITH WEST

China’s tensions with the West have also meant a bigger playing field for Singapore-linked firms – even foreign-owned ones like Parkway, which is currently owned by Malaysian health company IHH.

Parkway Shanghai announced late last year that it will open a new flagship ambulatory care centre in downtown Shanghai this year. It opened its first medical centre in the city in 2006.

Dr Kenneth Tsang, regional CEO of IHH Healthcare North Asia, said Singapore’s reputation for high-quality medical care “means a lot for us”.

“Take for example, some of our competitors who were previously formally linked to very famous hospitals, let’s say, from the United States. The ability to continue to promote that US link is now becoming less important or less being promoted,” he added.

“And therefore, from our perspective, the ability to be linked to Singapore and promote the clinical service that we are exporting from Singapore into China is actually very, very important.”

While China’s medical sector has its unique challenges, it has created opportunities for foreign firms.

For instance, it was not the practice to visit a general practitioner clinic for minor ailments. 

Dr Tsang said this is no longer the case.

“People are learning fast. They know (going to the hospital) is not always necessary, and therefore they are becoming more accustomed to the use of clinics,” he added.

As Chinese exports face a torrent of tariffs in the West, China has been actively promoting medical tourism to boost consumption within its borders – giving foreign medical firms, like those from Singapore, even more opportunities to thrive.

MOSCOW: While US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on allies and foes including Europe, India, Japan and China, some of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries – Russia, Belarus, Cuba and North Korea – avoided being singled out for special punitive treatment.

With the world gripped by trade war, Trump imposed a 10 per cent tariff on most goods imported to the United States. China, the biggest supplier of goods to the US, now faces a 54 per cent tariff on all exports to the world’s biggest consumer.

“In the face of unrelenting economic warfare, the United States can no longer continue with a policy of unilateral economic surrender,” Trump said as he presented the tariffs.

The White House released a list of comments from people praising his tariffs. They said ordinary American workers would benefit after years of what they described as abuse from trading partners such as China.

Trump said he would impose a 10 per cent baseline tariff on all imports to the United States and higher duties on dozens of countries. Russia, Cuba and North Korea did not appear on the list of countries facing higher ‘reciprocal’ tariffs released by the White House.

GROWING COMPLEXITY OF TRADING WITH US

In many instances, these new reciprocal tariffs are stacked on top of an array of existing tariffs. China is particularly badly hit by this approach, as firms will need to include any existing Section 301 tariffs from the first Trump term (often up to 25 per cent), another 20 per cent imposed earlier this year under Trump 2.0, before adding the latest 34 per cent reciprocal tariff. 

The US has begun collecting 25 per cent tariffs on all products of steel and aluminium or made with these metals. For these categories of goods, reciprocal tariffs do not apply, which highlights the growing complexity to managing trade with the US.

These are not the only tariffs on the horizon either.

From Apr 3, imported vehicles into the US had to fork over an additional 25 per cent tariff. The same rate will be levied against auto parts shortly. Both are covered by a probe alleging national security concerns. Mr Trump has already promised similar treatment of copper, lumber, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. 

The Trump administration promised shock and awe. It has certainly delivered both, along with considerable uncertainty. Asia will need to quickly figure out how to best take advantage of rapid changes in the economic landscape and minimise the damage ahead. 

Deborah Elms is Head of Trade Policy at Hinrich Foundation and Founder of the Asian Trade Centre.

HOW SHOULD ASEAN COUNTRIES REACT? 

Malaysia, which will see its exports to the US get hit by a 24 per cent levy, appears to be holding fire on any pushback for now and is “not considering retaliatory tariffs”. 

It will instead “seek solutions that will uphold the spirit of free and fair trade”, according to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI). 

“To mitigate the tariff impact, Malaysia is expanding our export markets by prioritising high-growth regions and leveraging existing free trade agreements, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership,” the ministry said. 

Meanwhile over in Thailand, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the country had a “strong plan” to handle the new 36 per cent levy imposed on its goods.

Thailand will negotiate with the US and will not allow the situation to “get to where gross domestic product will miss the target”, she said.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, meanwhile, held an urgent cabinet meeting early on Thursday. Local reports added that leaders of the trade ministry will present a report on the impacts of the tariffs on Vietnam’s exports and its economic growth prospects. 

Analysts told CNA that the individual ASEAN states may not have enough leverage to retaliate to the US tariffs, but they can – as a collective bloc – turn to alternative trade partners around the globe to counter Washington’s protectionist measures. 

“ASEAN countries should resist the temptation to retaliate, mainly because tariffs hurt the countries imposing them more than anyone else. This is the right response from an economic point of view, but the situation may differ politically,” said Menon.

“If a response is deemed politically necessary, then ASEAN should coordinate that response. There is weight in numbers.”

The economist Woo said that ASEAN should consider forging trade partnerships with other groups beyond the US, such as with China, Japan, South Korea, the EU and even the Gulf countries. 

He cited how countries like Malaysia which supply semiconductor chips to the US should also look to supplying them to Europe and China, further adding that ASEAN as a bloc should seek a free trade agreement with the EU to explore possibilities for market expansion. 

“The Americans are taking the ball home and they are not going to play football with you. So (ASEAN) has to come up with our own game,” said Woo. 

“And I think the rest of the world is big enough that, after some adjustment, we will be able to restore everything to normal growth (if we look elsewhere).”  

Lin of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute added that the imposition of tariffs could represent a good opportunity for ASEAN to “enhance regional cohesiveness” through a joint statement or coordinated actions that reinforces trade and investment within member states. 

In the meantime, she acknowledged that many ASEAN states may be reluctant to significantly increase their FDIs in the US to circumvent tariffs, as such investments are capital-intensive and take time to establish. 

“Given that the Trump administration (could) be in office for just four years, many may prefer to wait it out rather than initiate major structural adjustments,” she said. 

NEW DELHI: India’s parliament passed a Bill on Thursday (Apr 3)  to reform hugely wealthy Muslim land-owning organisations, with the Hindu nationalist government saying it will boost accountability while the opposition called it an “attack” on a minority.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government argues that the Bill will boost transparency to more than a dozen powerful Waqf boards, which control properties gifted by Muslim charitable endowments.

There are around two dozen Waqf boards across India, owning some 365,000ha, a multi-billion-dollar property empire that makes them one of the biggest landholders alongside the railways and the defence forces.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who tabled the Bill on Wednesday, said it would check corruption and mismanagement and reduce the hold of a few entrenched groups.

The Bill was passed by the lower house of parliament after a marathon debate that stretched into the early hours of Thursday.

It is expected to be passed by the upper house of parliament later on Thursday, handing far larger powers to civil servants in the supervision of Waqf boards.

Amit Shah, the interior minister and a close Modi aide, said the changes will help “catch the people who lease out properties” for individual gains.

“That money, which could be used to aid the development of minorities, is being stolen,” he said.

Non-Muslims, who will be included in the boards as part of the new bill, will only be involved in “administrative” matters, Shah said.

Compared with neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, Singapore is likely most vulnerable to an external slowdown caused by the tariffs, said Mr Suan Teck Kin, head of research at UOB.

If the US imposes sector-specific tariffs, such as on pharmaceuticals or semiconductors, the direct drag to Singapore could be particularly pronounced, he added.

Growth has already softened in early 2025, with key sectors such as manufacturing, trade and logistics slowing down.

Ms Selina Ling, chief economist of OCBC, said the broad-based nature of the tariffs may mean there are knock-on implications on Singapore’s shipping, logistics and financial hub activities.

If China and Southeast Asian countries see slower trade and economic growth, Singapore will suffer, she said.

A lot of the supply chain, trade and funding activities relating to these countries happen in Singapore, she added.

Investment into Singapore may also dip, said Ms Sheana Yue, an economist at Oxford Economics, pointing to tariffs impacting trade and business decisions. 

The volume of trade going through Singapore may be reduced as the demand for goods from countries with high tariffs falls. US demand for Singapore goods would also fall.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS

However, analysts pointed to possible silver linings. With tariffs on Singapore goods remaining relatively low, the country could emerge as a more attractive source of imports for US buyers seeking alternatives to heavily taxed suppliers.

While Singapore’s exports to the US could decline, the drop is likely to be less severe than other Asian exporters, said Ms Yue.

This could even increase Singapore’s share of US imports, especially since a “fair share” of its exports are exempted from tariffs.

However, Singapore’s small land area means it cannot easily scale up output to meet any increased demand, and this would limit a potential increase in exports.

Its high operating and labour costs may also temper its attractiveness as a supply chain alternative, said Mr Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist at trading platform IG Asia.