The coronavirus is deepening the rift between Beijing and Washington, at a time when cooperation is needed most
They call it the “Wuhan virus.”
As a lethal pandemic races across the world, overwhelming health systems and upending entire societies, President Donald Trump’s top aides and allies see an opening to weaken a vulnerable adversary.
But some former U.S. officials say that by kicking China while it’s down, the Trump team is wasting a golden opportunity to build trust with an increasingly powerful country whose cooperation it will need to tackle future transnational challenges, including pandemics.
“A lot of these emotional and punishment policies will over time come back to bite us,” warned Paul Haenle, a former National Security Council official who dealt with China under the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.
Within the Cabinet, America’s top diplomat has been China’s most expansive critic. The secretary of state is arguing to anyone who will listen that China’s lack of transparency, especially early on, has damaged global efforts to halt the virus.
Some said that Pompeo and others’ tough commentary has been helpful by raising pressure on China to be more open about developments on its soil. In mid-February, China finally allowed in a team from the World Health Organization that included Americans.
But Morrison and others agreed that other U.S. moves have probably done more to degrade trust than build it – including using labels like the “Wuhan coronavirus.”
The analysts and former officials didn’t doubt the reasoning behind some of the U.S. moves – Chinese media outlets, for one, are widely considered propaganda operations. But the timing of the U.S. moves sent a poor signal, they argued.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/13/trump-china-coronavirus-127919