With the American Presidential Election Half a Year Away, Don’t Let China Assume Hegemony

Published in Sankei News
(Japan) on 10 May 2020
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Kelsey Lechner. Edited by Elizabeth Cosgriff.
It is now half a year until votes are cast in the U.S. presidential election in November. This has developed into a showdown between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden.

Each is attacking the other about their handling of the COVID-19 crisis, yet what the U.S. needs now is not increased divisiveness, but something to unite citizens in the fight against the virus.

The U.S. has been impacted the worst among all the countries fighting COVID-19. The superpower’s move toward unity will decide whether it succeeds or collapses, and it will also affect the world order after the COVID-19 crisis has ended, as China eyes world leadership.

This is a national crisis comparable to World War II and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Trump promotes the idea that he is a “wartime president” during his frequent press conferences, yet he has been criticized for repeatedly spouting an optimistic outlook while he delays securing medical equipment and establishing a system of testing for COVID-19. Lately he’s been touting an early reopening of the economy, which puts him at odds with some state governors who are showing a more careful approach.

The spectacle of Trump’s supporters gathering in the streets calling for “liberation” may be symbolic of deeper division. Trump should control his own haphazard behavior and listen to the advice from experts. It might cost him reelection, but real "wartime leadership" means giving one's all to face a crisis.

Biden may be polling slightly better than Trump, but that doesn’t mean he has any real presence. What the U.S. needs is someone who can deliver a prescription to treat the problems that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 disaster, particularly the inadequacy of the national health insurance system, which has led to high fatality rates among the poor. Efficient reform should be an urgent matter.

Both Trump and Biden should be aware that this election can lead to the country’s resurgence.

Countries around the globe are closing their borders to protect themselves from the pandemic. It is inevitable that there is some withdrawal from globalization, but countries can’t overcome the spread of the virus if they only put themselves first. As a global depression becomes increasingly more real, the election campaign platforms should not overlook ways to rebuild international partnerships and portray American leadership.

China is trying to rebuild its economy and is going forward with its “mask diplomacy,” whereby it sends medical supplies to countries suffering from the pandemic, all this while it is strengthening its military control over the South China Sea.

As the American people grow warier and warier of China, the two factions in the country are criticizing each other's position toward China. Further division will only serve to bring about a decline in America’s power and give China the opportunity it needs to steal supremacy once the pandemic subsides.



【主張】米大統領選半年 中国に覇権の隙与えるな

米大統領選は11月の投開票まで半年を切った。共和党のトランプ大統領と民主党のバイデン前副大統領の対決となる。

 双方は新型コロナウイルスの感染対策をめぐって非難合戦を繰り広げているが、今、必要なのは国内の分断を広げることではなく、新型コロナとの戦いに国民を結束させることである。

 米国は世界最大の被害国となっている。その収束の行方は超大国米国の浮沈とともに、中国が主導権を狙う「コロナ後」の世界秩序をも左右する。

 第二次大戦や米中枢同時テロに匹敵する国難である。

 トランプ氏は頻繁に記者会見して「戦時下の大統領」をアピールする。だが当初は楽観的見解を繰り返し、検査体制の整備や医療物資の確保に出遅れたことを批判された。最近では経済活動の早期再開を唱え、慎重姿勢を示す一部の州政府と対立している。

 トランプ支持者が街頭に集結して外出「解放」を訴える光景は、深まる分断の象徴にみえる。トランプ氏は場当たり的な言動を慎み、専門家の助言に耳を傾けてほしい。再選に不利となろうが、目前の危機解決に粉骨砕身するのが真の「戦時指導者」である。

 バイデン氏は支持率でトランプ氏をわずかに上回るが、存在感を示しているとはいえない。コロナ禍で浮き彫りにされた未解決の課題に処方箋を示すことが求められる。特に全国民対象の医療保険制度の不備は貧困層の高い致死率の要因であり、実効性ある改革が急がれるはずだ。

 両者とも米国を再生に向かわせる大統領選を意識してほしい。

 各国は国境を閉じて自国の防疫に懸命である。グローバル化の後退は不可避だが、自国ファーストのみで感染拡大は克服できない。世界恐慌が現実味を増す中で、国際協調の再構築と米国の指導力をどう描くか。大統領選で避けて通れないテーマのはずだ。

 中国は国内で経済回復にかじを切り、感染拡大に苦しむ国々に医療物資を提供する「マスク外交」を展開している。一方では南シナ海の軍事支配を強化している。

 米国民の中国不信の高まりに、両陣営は互いの対中姿勢を批判し合っているが、分断の拡大が進めば国力の衰退を招き、中国にコロナ後の覇権を奪う隙を与えることになる。

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