No images? Click here [link removed]

Fabrizio Sala, vice president of Italy's Lombardy region, speaks during a press conference at Milan Malpensa Airport following the arrival of a medical team from Zhejiang, China. (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)​

During this pandemic era, the stark dichotomy of the Chinese Communist Party's behavior has never been more apparent. While China sends medical teams abroad, the Chinese coast guard protects Chinese fishing boats as they raid [[link removed]] the waters of neighboring nations. As the CCP attempts to portray China as a global hero, Xi Jinping's government violates the sovereignty of other countries and deploys disinformation campaigns to spread conspiracy theories [[link removed]].

A new Hudson report, " A Global Survey of US-China Competition in the Coronavirus Era [[link removed]]," examines China's efforts to use the coronavirus pandemic for strategic gains. From diplomacy to disinformation campaigns, the report provides a region-by-region look at China's actions in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Arctic, with a focus on the U.S.-China relationship.

Below is a guide to the essays included in the report. Next week, be sure to join us for a discussion with industry leaders on U.S. alternatives to a Huawei-led 5G network [[link removed]].

Read the Global Survey [[link removed]] Download the Global Survey [[link removed]]

A Look Inside the Report: [[link removed]]

ASIA [[link removed]]

Beijing’s Continental Ambitions [[link removed]]

Eric Brown [[link removed]] highlights the role of landlocked Eurasia in China’s calculations for maritime dominance across the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific. Brown draws on China’s ongoing subjugation of the Xinjiang region as an example, along with the Chinese government’s systematic erasure of the region’s Islamic culture and practice. An effective US and allied response should establish counterpressures to China on both sides of Eurasia, along with offering strategic aid to Central Asian states aimed at de-risking greater private sector cooperation and indebtedness to Beijing.

US-China Competition in Northeast Asia [[link removed]]

Patrick M. Cronin [[link removed]] and H. R. McMaster [[link removed]] outline how the political and economic fallout from the pandemic has led to a growing wariness of Xi Jinping’s intentions across South Korea and Japan, while China’s pressure tactics in Hong Kong and against Taiwan have increased tensions with its neighbors in Northeast Asia. The authors argue that stronger US bilateral relations with South Korea and Japan would help establish a free and open regional security environment and should begin with expanded cooperation on high technology and supply-chain security.

China’s Thrust into South Asia: Considerations for US Policy [[link removed]]

Husain Haqqani [[link removed]], Aparna Pande [[link removed]], and Satoru Nagao [[link removed]] outline China’s network of influence across South Asia and the CCP’s goal to limit defiance from India, the region’s major power. As the coronavirus pandemic slows economic growth in the region, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other South Asian countries caught in China’s debt-trap diplomacy will see their dependency deepen in the coming months, while India’s historic wariness of Beijing continues to deepen. Meanwhile, the United States has begun to retool its approach to development and diplomacy in the region, using US government-funded agencies to offer private-sector funding for investments in infrastructure, energy, and technology projects across the Indo-Pacific.

China’s COVID-19 Opportunities in Southeast Asia [[link removed]]

John Lee [[link removed]] examines Xi Jinping’s efforts to court small states in Southeast Asia, where China has already gained disproportionately large strategic benefits through state-directed investment and infrastructure building. While many Southeast Asian nations express private anger at Beijing for unleashing the virus, they have largely kept to the pre-pandemic playbook, and leaders from Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Malaysia have praised Xi publicly. Beijing has used the shift in global focus to advance its presence in the South China Sea, with a series of military actions and administrative claims on islands currently occupied by Vietnam. Lee argues that the US should support international inquiries into the origins and early spread of the virus, as suggested by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and embrace institutional solutions rather than only relying on bilateralism.

Countering China’s “Greater Periphery” Approach in the South Pacific [[link removed]]

John Lee [[link removed]] reveals the challenges faced by the South Pacific, where limited access to healthcare and ventilators has made the region vulnerable to China’s efforts to gain a regional foothold through supply of these essentials. In early March 2020, China established the China-Pacific Island Countries Anti-COVID-19 Cooperation Fund, allocating about $1.9 million to assist island nations in purchasing Chinese medical equipment, as part of China’s “greater periphery” strategy. To counter these efforts, the United States and its allies must meet their current Official Development Assistance obligations to the region, consider a rapidly deployable contingency fund, and facilitate assistance through multilateral organizations such as the International Monetary Fund. Even relatively small amounts would make an enormous difference to many of these small states.

EUROPE AND THE ARCTIC [[link removed]]

China Embraces Strategy’s First Dictum, Divide & Conquer [[link removed]]

Seth Cropsey [[link removed]] examines the role of Eastern and Southern Europe as the western terminus in China’s Belt and Road ambitions. Although China has cultivated economic influence with Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and Hungary, the current pandemic has caused apparent strains, as Eastern Europe buckles under a growing $75 billion trade deficit with China. Chinese gains in Eastern Europe, Cropsey notes, will jeopardize links between NATO’s eastern flank and its Anglo-Atlantic core.

Transatlantic Considerations for a Pacific Century [[link removed]]

Peter Rough [[link removed]] argues that the transatlantic alliance is important in countering China’s bid for economic and political influence in Europe. The alliance, built around the E3 countries of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, would work in a coordinated fashion to tighten access to key technologies beyond current EU regulations; import US best practices on foreign investment; protect European industry from Chinese IP theft; and reduce vulnerability in strategic sectors. Without American guidance and support, Rough argues, the opportunity to build an unassailable alternative to China’s authoritarian capitalism will be lost.

Creeping Influence: China and the Arctic during the Pandemic [[link removed]]

Liselotte Odgaard [[link removed]] examines the Arctic region’s coronavirus-related vulnerabilities, which range from its limited health infrastructure to a drastic reduction in global demand for seafood, the region’s main export. Meanwhile, Beijing’s geopolitical interest in the Arctic continues unabated. China continues with the objectives of the “Polar Silk Road,” launched in January 2018, to extract natural resources, establish its own transportation infrastructure, and convert its growing economic power into political influence. Odgaard highlights US and Danish engagement with Greenland as a model for successful transatlantic cooperation and a method of reducing China’s regional power.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA [[link removed]]

Soft Power, Hard Fail: Chinese Coronavirus Diplomacy in Africa [[link removed]]

Blaise Misztal [[link removed]] reviews China’s diplomatic efforts in Africa, where initial positive impressions soured after reports of discrimination against a large African community in Guangzhou, China. The quick reversal of China’s coronavirus diplomacy in Africa highlights the obstacles facing an autocratic state attempting to wield soft power, particularly in countries where citizens are willing to question the impact of Chinese investment, involvement, and influence on their societies. In the longterm, Misztal notes, the pandemic will fuel growing political instability in Africa, providing China with additional opportunities for influence. The US should align its strengths directly with the emerging African voices of opposition to China and support their demand for more capable, just, and transparent governing institutions.

The China Factor in US-Israeli Relations [[link removed]]

Douglas J. Feith [[link removed]] explores Israel’s economic connections to China and the strain it has caused to the US-Israel relationship. China, Israel’s second-largest trading partner after the United States, has a considerable infrastructure presence and significant business investments in Israel, which pose risks to the US-Israeli relationship. Feith explores how the US and Israel can protect their strategic relationship by working together on a common threat assessment regarding China and by regulating foreign trade to protect critical infrastructure and industries.

The Coming Struggle with China over the Middle East [[link removed]]

Michael Doran [[link removed]] examines the possibility that the Middle East will become a contested arena between the United States and China, despite the current US focus on organizing allies in East Asia and Europe. Doran challenges prevailing assumptions that Beijing’s military contest with Washington is largely restricted to East Asia, noting that China’s port in Gwadar, Pakistan and its military base in Djibouti are signs of the broader Chinese presence to come. Djibouti and Gwadar alone will soon give China the ability to guard—or threaten—the two key choke points through which Middle Eastern oil flows.

Read the Global Survey [[link removed]]

Go Deeper: Hudson on China's Coronavirus Strategies

Read [[link removed]]

China: Petulant Bully That Can't Quite Work Us Out [[link removed]]

Hudson Senior Fellow John Lee provides a local perspective on China's efforts to intimidate the Australian government into dropping its coronavirus investigation.

Watch [[link removed]]

Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick on America's Foreign Assistance Leadership [[link removed]]

USAID Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick joined Hudson to discuss the heavy toll of the pandemic on emerging markets and how U.S. foreign aid is adapting to the added challenge of China's efforts to expand its influence in developing countries.

Listen [[link removed]]

China Moves on Hong Kong [[link removed]]

Hudson Senior Fellow Patrick Cronin joins the Defense & Aerospace Podcast to discuss China’s new law exerting authority over Hong Kong and Xi Jinping's efforts to draw attention away from China's economic freefall.

Hudson Institute

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Fourth Floor

Washington, D.C. 20004 Share [link removed] Tweet [link removed] Forward [link removed] Preferences [link removed] | Unsubscribe [link removed]