Perhaps the United States (US) establishment and think tank has taken a decision to consider China as their number one enemy. So, the US government, media and its ally are making the concerted effort to propagate fabricated and fictitious news on China to misguide and mislead the people on any lame excuse. In this connection, US President Donald Trump's activities and speeches are always well calculated. The upcoming days may be more critical and unstable with respect to politics and economy of the world, for next presidential election of the USA and post corona virus catastrophe.
History tells us the US was the leader to introduce the concept of globalisation. Moreover, USA compelled developed and under developed countries to introduce economic and political reform as per policy of globalisation. But President Trump has chronologically dissociated from the world body. He didn't attend the world economic conference in 2017, withdraw from UNICEF, had stepped out from the World Climate Forum. He very recently blamed World Health Organization (WHO) and its DG for so called 'mismanaging and covering up the spread of coronavirus'. He also alleged that WHO DG Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had a close relationship with China and he had delayed declaring the outbreak as public health emergency. Though those allegations are not correct but on this excuse he halted the US funding.
Regarding the coronavirus, the Chinese authority informed the WHO and world related agencies including the USA on the December 31, 2019. From time to time Chinese scientists have maintained close contact with WHO and the international medical community. China has also shared the first genome sequence of the virus publicly, which make it clear that the outbreak was caused by coronavirus. After proper investigation and research WHO confirmed that the virus originated from the animals not in the laboratory. The Chinese government and WHO were transparent and fair and informed all the related agencies including USA regarding the characteristics and origin of the coronavirus.
The Chinese government had taken all the necessary steps as per as possible to control the outbreak the virus. To protecting the Chinese citizens from the virus, the country's performance in the fight against the pandemic is well recognised. Even President Donald Trump also had praised the Chinese government in a tweet on the February 7 to control the virus. But later on he accused China for the outbreak and termed it as 'Chinese Virus' sarcastically. He also tried to give an impression that this virus will not affect the USA. In this way he engaged in blame game politics rather to take necessary steps to control the pandemic.
Perhaps President Trump has a hidden agenda to use the coronavirus issue as a political weapon in the upcoming US Presidential election. For this reason he was bogged down in fabricated and baseless propaganda to blame China rather than to save the US citizen. The people of the world specially the US citizen observed that the US President was not at all serious to protect the US citizen and was indifferent to take necessary steps for combating the virus, though he had got enough time. Coronavirus entered his country from Europe, not from China. An editorial in the Guardian criticised Trump's approach to the virus saying, "He puts lives of Americans in danger".
In the present geopolitical situation, the American rightist establishment is considering China as their number one enemy. Gradually this policy is being reflected in their every step since trade war and present corona issue. Through this process anti-China atmosphere has been formed in the US society and the political elites take the step to suppress China. However some politicians from the western and the Asian countries particularly major US allies began parroting Washington's tone to blame China away to distract public attention from their own mishandling and catastrophic blow of the pandemic.
Moreover, the US power broker has realised that China will be the leader of the forth industrial revolution which is in process. So, it will emerge as main supplier of the industrial products and also number one economic giant, global leader and powerful civilized nation.
US think tanks are intellectually very creative and understand the future scenario of the world politics. So, they may realise that the emerging Chinese civilization will be the most threatening to their continued hegemony in the world. With this perspective the US administration is trying to polarise and re-polarise the world situation especially in terms of global economy. They will try to break the global supply chains, so that economy will be the less globalised. It will also try to subdue 'Belt and Road Initiative'. The US government desperately needs to stop the rise of China as number one world power status. To do so, it needs to slow down the Chinese economic growth considerably which has recorded double digit rate for four decades. Now the principal object of USA and its allies is to smear China with this cronavirus and try to convince other countries to de-globalise the world economy.
Fabricated, false and baseless propaganda push among the extreme anti- China crowd in the US. The push is to use this as an excuse to destroy Chinese economy and attempt to de-globalised the world. The media in the US are misleading and misguiding the people's opinion. Some influential print and electronic media in India are also doing the same.
The Chinese people and Chinese government are, however, firm to sustain their development and economic growth. They will go in decisive way to protect their national interest under the leadership of Comrade Xi Jin Ping. By upholding globalisation and maintaining the Chinese industrial growth, subsequently will become the leader of the fourth industrial revolution.
China will also strongly oppose the politicisation of public health issue and the stigmatisation of other countries under the excuse of the coronavirus. On this spirit the Chinese government is helping the virus affected countries including Bangladesh, with the protective and test equipments like masks, kits and other necessary items. It is a great testimony of the international brotherhood of the Chinese people. Finally We also hope that China will contribute much for the peaceful and harmonious world in future.
The writer is General Secretary, Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal (M-L) [(Communist Party of Bangladesh (M-L)] and former minister.