*The World After COVID-19*
*Fu Ying*
Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Director of Tsinghua
University Strategy and Security Research Center
https://www.guancha.cn/fuying/2020_04_30_548855_s.shtml
傅莹：新冠病毒疫情之后的世界
THE TRADITIONAL Chinese festival of Qingming, or tomb-sweeping, on April
4th, is a day to remember loved ones who have passed. This year Chinese
across the country mourned lives lost to the covid-19 pandemic. Immersed
in sadness, we cherish the memories of those who will not see this or
any other spring—and we reflect on what can be learned from the tragedies.
This pandemic is the third major unconventional security crisis in the
21st century that has refocused the world’s agenda. During the previous
two crises—the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 and particularly the
financial crisis of 2008—America joined hands in solidarity and
co-operated with other major countries through multilateral processes,
which saw the world through the havoc.
This time, a pandemic literally threatens the safety of humankind. It
has claimed more than 200,000 lives worldwide and shows no sign of
subsiding. Yet this time America, which insists on being treated as the
world’s global leader, has demonstrated neither a commitment to
solidarity and co-operation, nor a willingness or capacity for global
leadership.
What has particularly dismayed the Chinese is a smear campaign against
China by some American politicians and high-ranking officials, who try
to shift the blame for their own underestimation of the threat, their
slow response and the consequences. For me, the blame-game lays bare
American ambitions to scapegoat China for its problems. And this, sadly,
makes understanding and co-operation very difficult among major
countries, if not impossible, at a time when the world needs it most.
On February 13th when the crisis in Wuhan was at its peak, I attended
the Munich Security Conference with a team of Chinese scholars. I
brought along a public-health expert to brief attendees on China’s
struggles to contain the outbreak. Experts from the World Health
Organisation were there too, to alert the world to the dangers of the
epidemic. American officials and lawmakers at the conference paid little
attention to this issue or the information that China had to offer. They
were preoccupied with stigmatising China on such topics as Huawei and 5G.
Now these same people, like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and some
congressmen, have turned around and with no respect for the truth
started accusing China of concealing data about the virus. They should
be asked: did China not inform the world, including America, as early as
January 3rd about the disease as its danger was gradually revealed? Do
they not know that the virus’s genetic sequence was made public by China
on January 11th so that countries including America could start work on
testing, a treatment and vaccine?
We in China, more than anyone, wish the dangerous nature of the virus
had been revealed earlier and the response faster. Given the virus’s
novelty, medical professionals raced to gather evidence. As soon as its
human-to-human transmission was confirmed, the information was
immediately announced to the public on January 20th. Wuhan was
completely locked down three days later. The Chinese people paid a high
price in terms of lives and in pain to the economy and society, as
normal activities were suspended. Many countries later on learned from
our experiences of social distancing, wearing face masks and
hospitalising confirmed cases, while preventing medical resources from
being overwhelmed.
However, such professional and scientific information seems unimportant
to some American politicians. What matters to them is their strategic
rivalry with China, rather than co-operation, for fear that American
dominance might be lost to China. If China and America can’t co-operate
even in the face of this global disaster, if they cannot eventually
resolve their differences within the existing international structure,
we have to consider what this means for the current global system.
Will American hawks see their wish fulfilled: confrontation and a
complete decoupling of China and America? Is the world prepared for the
consequences, from disruptions to global industry and supply chains, and
a reversal of globalisation, to countries having to take sides as the
world splinters into opposing blocks? What would that mean for
humanity’s post-cold war ambitions to promote peaceful development?
Though others express distrust towards China’s global co-operation, our
priority is actually protecting the lives and safety of our own people
and restoring normality to the economy and society as soon as possible.
But this doesn’t mean China is going it alone. We have already sent
medical assistance to more than 100 countries and medical professionals
to some of them. Chinese factories are running day and night to meet the
world’s demand for medical supplies, including America’s.
Countries have different national conditions and each finds its best way
of dealing with the crisis. China cannot and will not impose its ways
upon others, nor seek geopolitical gain. Yet it must lend a hand to
those in trouble and in need. We are all in this together.
The outbreak has accelerated profound shifts in the world. Faced with an
invisible, unconventional yet ferocious enemy, America’s model of
hegemonic dominance—which prioritises geostrategic competition at the
expense of solving real problems—fails to protect people. It is even
less useful for shouldering the new types of international
responsibilities that are required in our globalised world.
As we move towards a multi-polar era, humanity may no longer accept a
new hegemon. It is hard to see how the world can be dominated again by a
certain country or group of countries. Countries will see that their
fortunes and fate are closely linked, and they should work together as
equal partners. We need to transcend traditional thinking and find a new
path, one that hopefully can be defined by mutual respect, equality and
justice, and mutually beneficial co-operation.
The world is entering an era of unprecedented interdependence. China has
grown through peaceful development. It is neither the former Soviet
Union, nor intent on becoming the next America. The Chinese aspire to a
peaceful and co-operative international environment and are willing to
work for it. The pandemic will be beaten only when every country is free
of its threat.
The international community needs China and America to co-ordinate.
President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump spoke by phone on March
27th. Both leaders agree that the pandemic is humanity’s common enemy
and the international community can overcome it only through a
collective response. Their message gives hope to those who want to see
China and America working together.
The co-operation of all countries in the world, and between China and
America in particular, is vital for success. First, the world should
share information about containing the virus. Second, the world, and
especially China and America, must work together on finding,
manufacturing and distributing vaccines and virus treatments, sharing
information in an open-source manner globally. Third, nations with
weaker public-health systems must be helped to stem the pandemic’s
spread. Fourth, the stability and security of manufacturing and supply
chains must be preserved to prevent secondary disasters in the world
economy.
A lack of global co-operation, and a failure for China and America to
work together, will have terrible consequences. The post-pandemic era
will be shaped by our actions of today. Many risks still lie ahead. Yet
the crisis helps us appreciate that our world is entering an era when
countries and peoples need each other more than ever before.
(End)
