In the recent situation that emerged from the Covid-19 spread has shown China’s capacity to make unanimous, rational, and timely decisions. Perhaps just for a good reason that China is ruled by one party and very sincerely in China’s best national interest.
Once I asked a Chinese diplomat in Islamabad if they have dissenting voices in their national decision-making process. He nodded Yes, saying: Every person has arguments in the decision-making process, but the final decision is accepted and implemented in letter and spirit by all. National interest is the only focus of all the decisions. Sometimes we have been strict on the implementation of decisions that disturb many stakeholders, but the government goes even for unpopular decisions as well only in the best interest of the country and its people. We have our own system of ‘democratic decision-making’, but it is good for China not to have western democracy, where the opposition of sick people fools around for the sake of politics alone.
China has an army as well, but no army chief dares to interfere in the state affairs. The best of China’s political system is, in any case, the party is strong enough to run the government, and the government is wise enough to run the defense affairs in a rational manner. The Army has nothing to do with the state affairs. Corrupt people have no place in government or in the army or in society.
Aforementioned was the other part of the statement of the Chinese diplomat that seems to be 100 percent correct. Without consistent political flow and development policies, supported and enriched by no interference by any state institution or the undue political opposition, no government can take up the process of progress so fast, integrated and productive as China has shown over the decades.
From a poverty-driven densely populated country to a second largest economy on the world map, China has shown the strength of leadership. The case of Covid-19 spread was a big challenge for China, and still it is hovering. But the way their leadership, doctors, nurses, and paramedics dealt with it was exemplary. The timely rationale decisions saved China from the disaster the global health organizations and experts were envisaging. Contrarily, the public health disaster happened in the US, UK, and some European countries where the leadership could not calculate the consequences.
A couple of months back, China claimed to have prepared 4-5 types of vaccines for the Covid-19 and submitted them to the World Health Organization (WHO) for testing and approval. China feels grimed for having no adequate response from the global health UN agency. While China has all trust and faith on WHO, on the furious reaction of President Donald Trump the US has opted out of WHO after lousy blames on the globally appreciated public health agency.
When the Americans and Europeans were dying of the Covid-19 infections, only China could provide Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to them. It proved that China despite suffering from disaster at home could produce and provide medical assistance and equipment to other countries. Pakistan was also one of the notoriously poor countries that received medical grand-in-aid from China.
It proved that China despite suffering from disaster at home could produce and provide medical assistance and equipment to other countries
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the globally game-changer connectivity and economic development initiative that is ever envisioned in contemporary history. President Xi Jinping has shaken the global power corridors, economic and financial hubs, with his vision of global economic development by enhancing local infrastructures and connecting them together to strengthen the regional or international corridors.
A US-based magazine The Diplomat writes: The narrative of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as spanning over 65 countries and gathering 62 percent of the world population, 31 percent of its GDP, and 40 percent of global land area should once and for all disappear now that China has announced the extension of the BRI to Latin America.
“Ever since Xi Jinping put forward China’s attempt to recreate the old Silk Road in 2013, observers have considered the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to be a project spanning Asia, Europe, and Africa, encompassing around 65 countries that have signed up for it. But the Belt and Road Initiative has been plagued by misconceptions ever since its unveiling. Most foreign observers have failed to grasp the complexity of the BRI, but the Chinese government also bears part of the blame, having failed to articulate a clear strategy from the beginning and building it up along the way.
Whatever, the initial strategy was for the BRI, it is now a historic intervention with approximate 2,951 projects valued at $3.87 trillion already underway across the wider Silk Road region, involving 2,630 companies. Morgan Stanley has predicted China’s overall expenses over the life of the BRI could reach $1.2-1.3 trillion by 2027.
The World Bank Group has conducted several researches on the global impact of BRI and concludes that China would have economic influence over 40 per cent of the global economy. WBG also fears part of the BRI to turn a debt trap for the weaker economies of Asia and Africa. Whatever predictions could be presumed, BRI is here for seven years now and it would be successfully implemented. Only those countries and economies would be benefited from it that would strategically handle it and plan for futuristic interventions right now. Only skilful and fittest would survive in the economic combat. The US and like-minded are already frightened and playing foul but they would not be able to stop China playing on the front foot. Winning players are always on the front foot for a big success.
The writer is the Director Devcom-Pakistan, a policy advocacy and outreach think tank in Islamabad