China Power

What COVID-19 Revealed About China and Its Role in the World

Recent Features

China Power | Society | East Asia

What COVID-19 Revealed About China and Its Role in the World

Looking back at China’s response to COVID-19 and the subsequent recovery process.

What COVID-19 Revealed About China and Its Role in the World
Credit: Depositphotos

This month marks the fifth anniversary of the initial COVID-19 outbreak, with the very first cases being reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Three months later, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

China, as both the origin of the outbreak and a key player in global health and politics, had a particularly profound role in shaping the pandemic’s trajectory. China’s response to COVID-19 and the subsequent recovery process revealed much about Beijing’s political characters in crisis. The post-pandemic period has further brought a handful of new challenges for Chinese leaders, including the gradual but steady economic decline, sharpened social inequality, and China’s deteriorated reputation in the West.

[...]
Dreaming of a career in the Asia-Pacific?
Try The Diplomat's jobs board.
Find your Asia-Pacific job