Ajaz Ahmad War
While the raging Corona virus brought the whole world to a halt and incurred heavy losses on countries, especially the global powers and the emerging ones, one nation stood out and faced the pandemic with amazing effect, controlling it within no time with surprising ease. The feat becomes all the more noticeable bearing in mind that the virus originated from China itself before it spread like wildfire in the rest of the world, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead, businesses crippled and educational institutions and other activities closed for an indefinite period.
In this rapidly emerging scenario with China committed to its trade diplomacy, a China-centred world is very much a possibility and it may not be that far off. Under President Xi Xingping, china’s ruling Communist Part of China (CCP) has seized the Covid moment.
The virus first appeared to be a telling setback for China, but with China’s likely emergence now as the first major world economy to end lockdowns and regain growth, the pandemic offers a rare chance to speed up the geopolitical shift in Beijing’s favour through 2020 and beyond.
The Chinese leadership is singularly focused on this once-in-a-century moment that’s tilting the power balance towards it, knowing well that such moments in history aren’t commonplace but very, very rare.
In the middle of a seething anti-China campaign led by the US under Trump, China has singularly concentrated on its target without any distraction, while at the same time handling with poise the surging challenges.
US under Trump has gone so far as to demand punitive measures against China for what trump calls Chinese virus because of the pathogen’s emergence from the Chinese city of Wuhan. China has calmly been responding to such rhetoric and posturing without taking its eyes off the target.
The fact is that the international system has started revolving around China with a shift in global focus from the West to Asia.
While US and Europe will continue to wield various power reservoirs, China with its new resolve, opportunities and a burning global ambition is surely going to be among the global big bosses with a much greater role to play in the years and decades to come.
Despite a slowdown in the recent years, China’s economy has remained robust. Its massive investment potential has allowed it to overtake the global trade, giving it a far greater strategic heft not just in Asia but well beyond.
China’s objectives of setting norms for emerging technologies gives it a definite edge over its rivals. Amid anti-China campaign unleashed by the United States, what comes across as telling is how China is focused on shaping a post-Covid-19 era with utmost care and precision.
