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Strategic Vision vol. 9, no. 46 (June, 2020)
Rivalry Going Viral China leverages COVID-19 to supplant US from position as hegemon Patrick Mendis & Dominique Reichenbach
T
he People’s Republic of China (PRC) is utilizing the novel coronavirus outbreak as strategic leverage to vie for global leadership in the post-pandemic era. This is facilitated by a lack of visionary leadership from Washington, as the international reputation of the United States continues to falter, which could lead to a significant shift in the world order. China’s sweeping geopolitical strategy provides opportunities from Europe to Africa, whereas the administration of US President Donald Trump is using Taiwan and Sri Lanka as pawns in its Indo-Pacific
Strategy. With a lack of diplomatic acumen or vision on the part of the United States, Trump’s range of deflections, failures, and incompetence in the face of COVID-19 presents a victory by default for China. In a controversial move, which The Washington Post characterized as a “new form of retail politics,” the Treasury Department ordered that Trump’s name be printed in the memo line of stimulus checks being issued to the American people from taxpayer money. Trump had originally requested that he be allowed to formally sign the checks, presumably to remind Americans that he is a cheerleader for the United
Dr. Patrick Mendis, a former American diplomat and military professor, is a Taiwan Fellow of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a distinguished visiting professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei. Dominique Reichenbach is a graduate of Arizona State University and an American David Boren scholar in Taiwan. She has served as a research intern and teaching assistant at National Chengchi University.