Executive summary

The growth slowdown in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will significantly affect Emerging Asia. Uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook is remarkably high and ultimately depends on each country’s ability to manage the spread of the virus and on continuous policy support. The OECD ’s Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India 2021: Reallocating Resources for Digitalisation first summarises key macroeconomic developments and provides the near-term regional economic outlook for 2021 (Chapter 1). The Outlook goes on to examine the importance of reallocating resources for digitalisation, in the health and education sectors in particular, providing suggestions to address barriers that hinder further adoption of digital tools (Chapter 2). It also reviews Industry 4.0 progress and highlights the need to strengthen cyber resilience.