Undoubtedly, the Xi Jinping Administration is the cause of the new coronavirus outbreak that has been killing a number of people all over the world. It is also undeniable that information hiding by the Beijing government, at least, brought about the pandemic while we have not specified yet that the origination is wild animals sold in the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market or leakage from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Under the circumstances, the Xi Administration is eager to regain trust from the international society and improve its image through a campaign emphasizing its success of immediate virus containment, holding up a slogan of “Community of shared future for mankind” and preforming “mask diplomacy.” Citing the word of Michael Sobolik, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, China’s behavior can be described as playing its own work acting both the arsonist and the firefighter. How many countries do believe in the apparent self-centeredness country? WHO, at most, would be controlled and kept silent by its monetary means.
“The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),” a Xi authorities’ featured project aiming to surpass the United States and to become the hegemony at the top of the world, would also collapse. In Indonesia, the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project has been suspended due to difficulties in procuring construction materials as a result of the new coronavirus issues, its opening scheduled at the first half of 2021 being likely to be postponed as well.
Furthermore, Sihanoukville in Cambodia, which the Xi Administration has considered as an important base for BRI and been pouring huge China money so far, is also witnessing an unusual event. In mid-February, the Westerdam, a large-size cruise ship rejected by many countries including japan, entered the port of Sihanoukville. Initially, the Ministry of Health announced that all the results were negative after passengers inboard and leaving the ship for Phnom Penh had been inspected. Shortly after, however, it turned out that an American woman was positive, who got in Malaysia after leaving the ship. Consequently, the Kingdom that has been mockingly described as “an agent for China,” has had no choice but to restrict entrance of Chinese people. Now, it seems that there are few Chinese characters in most restaurants and supermarkets and few Chinese people.
Similarly, in Pakistan, the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a large infrastructure project, has been left on the shelf due to lack of funds because of slowdown of Chinese economy. Myanmar is also faced with a shortage of materials for the construction of thermal power plants by Chinese state-owned enterprises.
The Xi Jinping Administration that seems to have no enemy will be, in the near future, put in an awkward position both domestically and internationally due to the new coronavirus issues. Although we still cannot be optimistic, the reform of the international order led by China is highly likely to result in a fantastic story.
