Southeast Asia's drastic coronavirus response squeezes trade

ASEAN sacrifices advantages of economic integration to block contagion

20200325 checks the temperature in Jakarta

A health officer checks the temperature of an arriving passenger at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

KENTARO IWAMOTO, Nikkei staff writer

SINGAPORE/HANOI -- Strict border controls meant to fight the coronavirus pandemic are limiting the advantages of Southeast Asia's economic integration, putting the region's four-year-old effort to promote cross-border trade and investment under pressure.

As of Tuesday, about 4,000 cases of the new coronavirus had been reported in the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with some 100 deaths.

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