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Any book on the topic of ‘public health in Asia during the COVID–19 pandemic’ must tick three boxes. It must be ambitious in scope; discuss the political, sociological and economic aspects of public health (not just the science of public health) at the national level; and examine Asia's role in global health governance. This book does indeed tick all three. In addition, it has some strong highlights. The edited volume brings together 15 chapters, which are arranged into four themes: health policies in Asia; Asia's role in global health governance; national-level responses of Asian countries; and the impact of the COVID–19 pandemic on migrants’ health in Asia. The contributors include scholars of Asia area studies, International Relations (IR), economics, political science and public policy. The three editors are specialists in IR, global health and the politics of modern China.

For context, the reviewers are specialists in health systems, public health and global health. We welcome other disciplines analysing health questions, especially as they shed light on social determinants and political economy dimensions, using IR theory to resolve global health commons problems, such as pandemics. These perspectives from other disciplines are especially welcome given the paucity of literature on the impact of the COVID–19 pandemic in Asia, from regional and interdisciplinary approaches. Therefore, we commend the book's three main strengths. First, there is a strong initial focus on the political and international relations in the context of past pandemics, such as the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the development of the International Health Regulations legal instrument in 2005. This focus is helpful because public health teaching tends to focus more on questions of epidemiology, science and the clinical impact of pandemics. Consequently, public health knowledge often downplays the international political, social and economic drivers and impacts. Second, the book demonstrates in-depth knowledge about the current governance structures, especially when applying the lenses of political science, IR and political economy to the study of pandemics. This is testament to the skills of the contributors and editors. Third and last, this book has an entire section on migrant health, which remains under-researched and under-discussed despite its importance to equity, justice and general public health common sense.

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