A helpful friend from Down Under

Strong ties: Australia was Asean’s first dialogue partner and this strategic partnership is entering a new chapter. — Bloomberg

WITHOUT doubt, we will look back on 2020 as one of the most challenging years in our lifetimes. The pandemic has wreaked havoc with lives, livelihoods and our health, and kept many of us apart.

But we’ll also look back on it as a year that has in many ways brought us closer together.