How will Covid-19 crisis shape world order and relations with China

In episode 447 of #CutTheClutter, Shekhar Gupta explains how the democratic world will respond to China once the Covid-19 crisis ends.

People wearing masks at a park in Shanghai, China | Representational photo | Qilai Shen | Bloomberg

New Delhi: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo answered questions to editors from Asia, including ThePrint’s Shekhar Gupta.

Gupta asked Pompeo if the US will continue to decline or will fight back against the rise of China. Pompeo answered that democracies do better than dictatorships in the long run.

Subtle and blunt attacks on China

The US has criticised China over the novel coronavirus and also slammed the World Health Organisation (WHO). The US has attacked the WHO over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. By attacking the WHO, the US has indirectly also attacked China as the United Nations body failed to hold China accountable.

Other countries have also attacked China, some in subtle ways and others were blunt. Britain’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Dominic Raab, has also called out China. He said that business wouldn’t be as usual with China.

There is a push back against China in the democratic world. Even if Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden gets elected, he wouldn’t be soft on China.

India is not in a position to question China publicly but statements about the Zoom video conferencing app and Chinese investments show that there is anger against the country.

Chinese Covid-19 figure

The world is deeply suspicious of China. Countries, including the US, have been questioning China’s figures on Covid-19.

China has increased the figure for Covid-19 deaths in Wuhan by 50 per cent. If they can hide 1,000-2,000 deaths, they can perhaps hide many more.

The actual number of deaths in Wuhan could be more than 40,000, according to some reports.

The US has also said that it will probe China on the possibility of the virus coming from a lab in Wuhan. Conspiracy theories find fertile ground in China due to the lack of information coming from the country.

Watch the full episode of CTC here: