Open AccessAn Epochal Moment? The COVID‐19 Pandemic and China's International Order Building
Author(s) -
Smith Nicholas Ross,
Fallon Tracey
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
world affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.159
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1940-1582
pISSN - 0043-8200
DOI - 10.1177/0043820020945395
Subject(s) - china , order (exchange) , politics , political science , friendship , covid-19 , world order , pandemic , international relations , window of opportunity , sociology , political economy , law , social science , engineering , economics , medicine , disease , finance , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , aerospace engineering
This article considers the potential for the COVID‐19 pandemic to represent an epochal moment in international politics, one which China can use as a window to maximize its international order‐building efforts. It is argued that China's putative international order‐building efforts to date have faltered, in part, due to an inability to create meaningful friendships with prominent international powers. However, the COVID‐19 pandemic allows China to play a key humanitarian role in heavily afflicted countries and, through this, perhaps an opportunity to forge more meaningful friendships. It is argued that China is trying to attach its concept of friendship to its humanitarian assistance while also stepping into the clear international leadership void that exists at the moment. This is not without faults or missteps, but the lasting impact could be significant for international politics and the global order.