Wuhan , also known as “Chicago of the East”, is the capital city of Hubei Province in Central China. It has a population of 11 million, a GDP of USD224bil, and as many as 230 Fortune Global 500 firms have a presence there.
It is a transportation hub, a manufacturing hub, and a financial and commercial hub all rolled into one. Where industrial activities are concerned, it is big in automotive and oil & gas.
Just as the 2011 flood in Bangkok and the nuclear power station mishap in Fukushima affected the global manufacturing supply chain negatively, the current novel coronavirus epidemic will likewise disrupt the global supply chain due to the prolonged shutdown of manufacturing facilities there. The effect of this epidemic, coupled with the 25% tariff placed on the $200bil worth of Chinese exports to the US under the US/Chinese 1st phase trade agreement, can be expected to affect Malaysia in the following manner:
