b 29
Strategic Vision vol. 9, no. 46 (June, 2020)
Missing the Old Normal COVID-19 global pandemic hinders China’s relations with India and Japan Amrita Jash
W
hat started as the Wuhan virus in December 2019 in China had transitioned by March 2020 into a global pandemic, rebranded as COVID-19. On one hand, the stringent measures employed by Beijing to combat the virus outbreak, such as imposing lockdowns, travel restrictions, and testing through no-contact measures, have been lauded in the press; on the other hand, China’s lack of transparency and initial attempts to cover up the outbreak have put Beijing under global scrutiny. This has raised serious doubts over China’s ability to act as a responsible stakehold-
er, and has hampered the diplomatic efforts of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). With increased damage to China’s responsible image, the pandemic severely hijacked Beijing’s relations and led to harsh criticism of the communist regime. Examples of this criticism include references to COVID-19 as the Chinese virus or Wuhan virus; describing China’s aid activities as little more than “mask diplomacy”; and calls to make China pay for the damage done. The biggest casualty has been China’s relations with the United States. With hundreds of thousands having died from the virus
photo: Shealah Craighead US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit.
Dr. Amrita Jash is Research Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), in New Delhi-India. She holds a PhD in Chinese Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University.