What influence does Corona have on the world powers? The China expert Mareike Ohlberg speaks in “NZZ Standpunkte” about Europe’s dependence on the Middle Kingdom, destroyed evidence in Wuhan, and she says why China is now confronting several countries.
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Hardly any other country has mastered the pandemic as well as China. At least that’s what the country itself claims. But is that really true? And has the coronavirus exacerbated geopolitical conflicts? The sinologist Mareike Ohlberg is one of the most prominent China experts in German-speaking countries. She believes the pandemic will have long-term consequences for the world order. China has been subverting western democracies for a long time. A trend that will now intensify. In the latest edition of “NZZ Standpunkte” with NZZ editor-in-chief Eric Gujer and political philosopher Katja Gentinetta, Ohlberg talks about attempts by the Chinese government to pressure – and she explains why Trump’s China policy can work.
“The political climate in the country is extremely tense,” says Ohlberg. China’s population is clearly feeling the economic problems that the corona crisis and the trade war have triggered. “This is a huge problem for a party that draws its legitimacy from economic growth.” The government is nervous. Ohlberg therefore expects even stronger political repression by the Communist Party in the future.
Eric Gujer wants to know from his guest whether it is a coincidence that the corona pandemic – like others before it – began in China. Of course, pandemics could also arise in other countries, says Ohlberg, but two points would favor an outbreak: First, people and animals lived close to each other in Chinese markets like in Wuhan. And second, the government has already downplayed outbreaks like Sars earlier and now again with Corona. This favored the spread of the virus. In addition, the leadership shows no interest in clarifying the real origins of the pandemic. “To this day we do not know exactly where the virus came from, because evidence was directly destroyed by the market.”
China is new to many countries
Covid-19 also left its mark politically. The Communist Party has always succeeded in never messing with many different countries at the same time, she says. But always with a few who would have acted as a deterrent example. “But now many countries are having similar experiences because of Corona. You notice: The relationship is not as friendly as it is always done. “
The trade war with the USA has recently been accompanied by the dispute over Tiktok and Huawei. “Trump did a lot of things right, even if for the wrong reasons,” says Ohlberg. She does not believe that Trump is strategic or even acting out of idealism. Rather, the US president uses violations of human rights as leverage in the trade war. “That is not ideal, but the course itself is correct.” China, in turn, is trying to strengthen its influence worldwide – also with threats, for example in the course of the “protective mask diplomacy”. The Chinese government wants to show the West: “We are the system of the 21st century.” And if you now hear that Western countries look with admiration towards China when it comes to dealing with the pandemic, that is not a good sign.
Why the Chinese government won’t adjust
Eric Gujer asks whether the West could not be a little more relaxed. Ultimately, the subversive attempts at influence by the Soviet Union and the GDR were of no use either, the system had perished. The much-vaunted change through trade will not take place here, replies Ohlberg. “The difference is that despite the increasing problems, China still has a relatively strong economy.” And the Chinese market is a strong lure for companies from Germany, Switzerland and the rest of Europe. It is important to position yourself more broadly. “Europe overestimates its dependence on China.”
In just a few decades, China has risen from a developing country to a superpower, says Gujer and draws a conclusion: “The other superpower, the USA, has not yet found an answer – and Europe certainly has not.”
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