COVID-19 Pandemic and the changing World Order
Tehzeeb Hussain Bercha
The COVID-19 pandemic is raging like a wildfire across the globe as nation-states struggle to overcome the mounting health and security challenges it represents. In some nations, the coronavirus outbreaks is delegitimizing the governance abilities of many governments as mounting death count gives repeated shocks to the nation. Amidst the efforts to prevent the spread of the virus by shutting down whole countries and mass testing, the state of global public heath and economy taking a great toll. Alongside the depleting state of world economy, the war of words between Washington and Beijing is compounded the global efforts to meet daunting challenges. President Trump repeatedly opting for the rhetoric to determine the culpability of China in the novel coronavirus pandemic in view of the upcoming presidential elections while China is countering his claims with its own information warfare. Facts are not important in this context. One of the most repeated claim of Washington is that China failed to apprise world community regarding the outbreak though, as China claimed, it apprised the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the cases of pneumonia of an unknown source had been detected in the city of Wuhan by late December, 2019. At that time, China apparently thought that it had contained the spread of the virus.
In view of the pandemic, the case of Pakistan is a peculiar matter as the country is increasingly becoming overwhelmed with the rise in contraction as well as increasing death rate while the healthcare dispensation is under severe structural strain. At the writing of this, the nation’s total cases stands at more than 15,000 and more than 300 confirmed deaths. According to the medical experts, if the masses continue to be in dereliction of the severity of the crisis and don’t adopt safety precautions appropriately then new cases will appear in the provinces and would completely overwhelm the already under-stressed healthcare system of the country. The projection by WHO and national government stands at 200,000 by mid of July, 2020, if effective measures are not taken by the government and people do not adhere to the guidelines. The situation, as it stands, is delicate.
However, on the front of medical assistance and support, the Chinese medical relief effort to Pakistan has been remarkably unparalleled in the history of their bilateral nations. Globally, as countries adopt ethnocentric approach in dealing with the pandemic and closing their borders and restricting support to other nations, the Chinese effort in assisting Pakistan as well as world community in confronting the pandemic speaks of the Chinese faith in globalization and open world. In the perspective of Pakistan, be it natural disasters or internal security crisis, from support at international forums to assisting in economic and social development, the all-weather friend, China, has been at the forefront in helping the state and society to surmount the insurmountable odds.
The Chinese government along with well-reputed national companies has stepped up their effort in provision of critical medical supplies and other associated relief support to Pakistan. Recognizing that tackling the pandemic will require a global response, the Chinese has been remarkably responsive in terms of supply of vital medical equipment and supplies to the most affected European as well as other nations across the globe. In context of Pakistan, the range of Chinese support include the crucial medical equipment including ventilators, N95 and FFP2 masks, persona protective equipments, and other associated medical supplies needed to combat COVID-19 in the country. More importantly, China continually pledging to support Pakistan till the holistic eradication of the virus in the country.
To Pakistan’s far-flung mountainous areas such as those comprising Gilgit Baltistan, Balochistan, and interior Sindh, the support of China is crucial and laudable. Alongside provision of medical supplies and equipments, Chinese companies also provided nutritional support to the underprivileged families in Balochistan who are confronted with two-fold crisis of pandemic and lockdown.
According to the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, China has by far provided medical support of 127 countries around the world including Pakistan to contain the spread of COVID-19. The global medical relief effort by China also hints its emerging global leader role in world affairs in the aftermath of COVID-19.
However, unlike its strategic peers in the global affairs, the Chinese approach toward international medical relief is not based on self-interest and hypernationalism. The contribution which China is making toward combating COVID-19 globally is based on a vision of future of open borders, inter-state harmony, and shared prosperity.
Contemporarily, at this crucial junction in international affairs and global health, the international comity of nations is presented with with two distinct set of visions regarding the future, either they want to live in a brutal world where states’ only tend to care of themselves at the cost others or the future of international cooperation to combat emerging threats to global peace, health, and stability.
