The rearrangement of forces after China entered the world stage as a powerful nation in the 21st century has displaced the United States from its leadership role .
It is not only about substituting one country for another. Nowadays, China plays the role of counterbalance to the U.S. , a role previously played by the Soviet Union until its dissolution, when Mikhail Gorbachev made the decision. After Gorbachev, the republics led by Boris Yeltsin separated in 1991, and with this, the majority of socialist regimes came to an end.
Now, while the world is struck by the COVID-19 pandemic , the U.S. has taken a completely different stance compared the previous Presidents who faced diseases such as SARS and ebola, who focused on dealing with the health emergencies and set an example for the rest of the world with their political and scientific leadership amid epidemiological risks. In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump mainly focused on closing borders to Europeans. A virtual version of the wall he is building to isolate the U.S. from Mexico.
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The crisis sparked by COVID-19 has exposed Trump’s inexperience, as well as a misunderstood protectionism . All this cancels any possibility of international collaboration that could benefit U.S. citizens. Moreover, Trump claims to disregard the leadership role, which he is, in fact, losing to China , who are right to take over that role.
Nevertheless, if the U.S. fails with its protectionism policy and its decision to close its borders, this will be used as an argument in favor of authoritarianism , as Trump will claim that he will find better solutions to a global crisis. In contrast, China is advancing in its commercial expansion and despite initial mistakes, the Asian country knew how to manage the COVID-19 crisis.
China
has understood what it takes to be a leader and it is now claiming this position, which has been available since January 2017.
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