The Covid-19 response from India and China

When should we expect the world to get back to normal? The People’s Curfew is underway in India – stalling commercial activity in one of the world’s most important economies and impacting people’s lives. Authorities are attempting to slow the spread of the coronavirus and are concerned the peak of the outbreak there is still weeks away. From Mumbai, India’s financial hub, The National’s correspondent Rebecca Bundhun joins to talk about business sentiment. Meanwhile, the fledgling beat of commerce is returning to Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected at the very end of last year. Two months of heavy restrictions on the movement of 11 million people have been eased and travel and shopping are possible again. What can we glean from the China experience in terms of what a recovery could look like? To explore this, Doug Guthrie, head of China initiatives at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a former managing director at Apple in Shanghai, joins the conversation. Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, and Kelsey Warner, future editor, look at the state of the public health and economic responses from two powerhouse economies, India and China.  In this episode: How is India coping? (1m 05s) Restrictions ease in China, what can we learn? (8m 27s) Headlines (20m 19s) Read more on our website: • China’s central bank cuts interest rate on loans to banks by biggest amount since 2015 • India's unprecedented virus lockdown will have consequence for already struggling economy • Lebanon to finalise turnaround plan by year-end to mend 'broken' economy, finance minister says • Abu Dhabi's Hub71 marks first year as it adapts to challenging times • US oil price slumps to near 18-year low as coronavirus hits demand