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New coronavirus variants highlight the need for countries to do their own research and development on COVID-19 vaccines, said a senior Philippines trade official, adding that people will only be safe once the whole world is vaccinated.

The Philippines is looking to work with its trading partners on this as vaccine demand is unlikely to wane anytime soon, said Allan Gepty, assistant secretary at the Department of Trade and Industry in an interview at the Reuters Next conference.

The new COVID-19 variants highlight that "we have to continue doing our respective research and development in this area because there is a truism that …no one is safe unless everyone is safe," said Gepty.

"The Philippines is more than willing to work with other trading partners on research and development."

His comments come as the world is battling the new Omicron variant, which has underscored the danger of low vaccination rates in some emerging countries as their affluent counterparts move to give boosters to their population.

Gepty said the demand for vaccines will "always be there", which is why "we have to be concerned with the manufacturing aspect".

While the Philippines struggled to secure vaccine supplies at the start of the pandemic, it has since build up its inventory through imports and donations, with a massive three-day vaccination drive taking place this week. The Philippines does not currently manufacture any COVID-19 vaccines.

The Philippines suffered among the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in Asia. With only close to 33% of the country's population fully inoculated so far, its vaccination rate is lagging those of its regional peers.

The Southeast Asian nation also wants the World Trade Organization (WTO) to come up with "concrete actions" on both trade and public health issues, Gepty said, without elaborating.

A trade response to the pandemic is on the radar of the WTO, which had to postpone its first ministerial meeting in four years due to the global alarm over Omicron.

Gepty said the Philippines has the capability to become involved in vaccine manufacturing but there are issues that need to be addressed, such as enforcing trade rules and ensuring the smooth flow of raw materials for vaccines.

"We have to take into account the supply chain and also the access to various raw materials," he said. "That's why on the trade aspect it is very important that the flow of these essential goods, the raw materials, among others, must not be hampered."(Reuters)

The civil unrest suffered by the Solomon Islands in the past week raised alarm among leaders of other Pacific island nations that rivalry between China, Taiwan and the United States risked aggravating their region's social and economic problems.

"I think what is happening in the Solomons is something we all should be paying serious attention to, because it can happen at any time," former Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Meg Taylor told a Reuters Next conference on Wednesday.

Taylor said resource exploitation, uneven wealth distribution, and unfair treatment of locals versus foreigners were all factors behind the unrest in the Solomons, while noting growing competition between the big powers for influence over some of the world's smallest nations.

During the violence, dozens of buildings were burnt down and shops looted in the Chinatown neighborhood of Honiara, the Solomons' capital. Many protesters were from Malaita province, which opposed the switch by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare's government in 2019 to formally recognise China instead of Taiwan. 

Malaita's premier, Daniel Suidani, has banned Chinese companies from the province, while accepting development aid from the United States.

China's efforts to win over Taiwan's friends have alarmed Washington. Pacific island nations Kiribati and the Solomon Islands were the last countries to cut ties with Taipei in September 2019, leaving Chinese-claimed Taiwan with formal diplomatic ties to just 15 countries.

"There is no doubt that what is happening is part of the superpower rivalry," former Kiribati president Anote Tong said of the unrest in the Solomons.

He said Kiribati, with a population of barely 120,000, could face similar issues to the Solomons, as there were already "expressions of discontent" when it switched ties from Taiwan to China.

"There is local feeling that the change of relations with China and kicking out Taiwan was not entirely popular with the people," Tong said.

Micronesia President David Panuelo said his government has carefully balanced relations with the United States and China to avoid being "sandwiched" in their rivalry.

"I've said to the U.S. and China they can compete on a healthy basis in the region," he told the Reuters Next conference, adding that the big powers should avoid becoming disruptive influences.

There is now heightened interest in the region from major powers, including the European Union, and while their aid is welcomed, they all expect something in return, Taylor said.

"Everybody comes with price tags," she said.

"I can see this starting to emerge now with the bases - the U.S. is now going to establish bases throughout the region."

Forced labour allegations against Malaysian firms are affecting foreign investors' confidence in the Southeast Asian nation, a minister said on Wednesday, days after Dyson cut ties with Malaysian supplier ATA IMS (ATAI.KL) over labour abuse claims.

Dyson told Reuters last week it would sever ties with ATA, which makes parts for its vacuum cleaners and air purifiers, in six months following an audit of the Malaysian company's labour practices and allegations by a whistleblower.

ATA, which gets 80% of its revenue from the home appliance maker, reiterated this week it took the accusations seriously and that findings from a labour audit were inconclusive. It has previously denied the forced labour allegations.

Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan, in a statement, urged employers and industries to conduct due diligence on workers' rights and welfare to ensure Malaysia is no longer tied to forced labour practices.

Saravanan told parliament on Tuesday that authorities will charge ATA following complaints received by the labour department.

"Forced labour issues linked to local companies in the electronic and rubber gloves manufacturing sector, and palm oil plantations have projected a negative image to the country and this has affected foreign investors' confidence towards Malaysia's supply of products," Saravanan said.

Malaysia, a key manufacturing hub, has faced scrutiny this year over claims migrant workers are being subjected to abusive working and living conditions. Foreigners are a significant part of its workforce.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has banned six Malaysian firms, including rubber glove makers and palm oil producers, in the last two years from selling their products to the United States after finding evidence of forced labour.

In July, the U.S. State Department put Malaysia on a list with China and North Korea, saying it had not made progress in eliminating trafficking of workers.

Shares of ATA have dropped nearly two-thirds since the Dyson announcement. The company has warned of sharp revenue declines and cost cuts.

Saravanan on Tuesday did not say what complaints the labour department had received or specify the charges. He said last week Malaysia was investigating Dyson's decision to terminate the ATA contract.

 The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) will continue to focus on health research and innovation activities for the handling and mitigation of COVID-19, BRIN Head Laksana Tri Handoko has said.

"At this time, BRIN still centers its focus on health research related to handling COVID-19, because, as we know, this pandemic is not over yet, although we all certainly hope this will end soon," he remarked at a virtual event entitled 'Health and Food Research and Innovation 2021' originating from here on Tuesday.

Specifically, the focus of BRIN's research on overcoming COVID-19 lies in three things: the independent development of the COVID-19 vaccine, development of non-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection tools, and COVID-19 case surveillance tool, Handoko informed.

Hence, he said he hopes that BRIN researchers can soon produce vaccine seeds that can be handed over to pharmaceutical industries for mass production in 2022.

"There are still many challenges, but, of course, all the researchers at BRIN and other teams are working hard on the Merah Putih vaccine," he added.

According to Handoko, the development of a variety of non-PCR detection tools is necessary because COVID-19 detection is one of the most strategic instruments for preventing large-scale virus transmission.

Meanwhile, he said, surveillance is being carried out based on whole-genome sequencing. It has actually been done by BRIN researchers, especially those from Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology and Cibinong Science Center, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

"Until next year, these are still our main research goals. Thus, we hope our researchers will be able to develop vaccine seeds that are categorized as CPOB or the method of producing a good drug," Handoko added.  (Antaranews)