Isolated At World Health Assembly, Xi Jinping's Bigger Challenge Is Coming At Home

CHINA stands completely isolated at ongoing World Health Assembly (WHA) - governing body of World Health Organization (WHO) - with over 120 nations of 194 member body seeking an 'independent, scientific, and impartial' investigation into origins - both causative and geographical - of COVID-19 virus that has claimed over 3,00,000 lives and left over 4 million infected worldwide. Having seen through China's obfuscation and possible collusion, Assembly also wants to scrutinize role of WHO itself under its w controversial chief Dr. Tedros.

Having sensed its isolation, Chinese President Xi Jinping reily accepted resolution seeking two investigations, and sought to put a balm of billions of dollars by way of COVID aid to world in a show of characteristic Chinese transactionalism. Off world st, China has been using every rule in book to browbeat world into t investigating role of Chinese in COVID-19 contagion turning a global pandemic.

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Chinese diplomats have called Australia an American 'attack-dog' despite being its biggest tre partner, have succeeded in silencing small nation-states burdened by Chinese debt like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan to t support WHA resolution, increased military venturism in South China Seas, and closer home pushed a more aggressive patrolling policy along Sikkim and Lakh boundaries with India. One would say that's typical of China's Middle Kingdom complex. But things might be turning hotter in Beijing than outside for Xi Jinping.

On May 22, China's top legislature, National People's Congress (NPC) would meet for its third annual session. A day before that apex political visory body of Communist Party of China - National Committee - would confabulate for nda of NPC. Media reports suggest many members have some tough questions on handling of virus by authorities in Wuhan, capital of central Chinese province of Hubei, where it all began.

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Chinese daily Global Times - seen as tabloidy voice of Chinese government - reported discomfiture of many leers at manner in which public health system responded in initial days of contagion. newspaper quoted Zhang Boli, an NPC deputy, as claiming that local doctor who h first reported influenza-like illness - later classified as COVID-19 - to authorities on December 27 was t taken seriously by Wuhan city government. According to Boli, local level bureaucracy lost crucial time in reporting and investigating new illness with speed that it should have been. Ar NPC deputy Huang Xihua was quoted as pointing out deficiencies in rapid emergency response in initial days of contagion, in same report.

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Trying to re tea leaves on China a few days back, India's former Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, who also served as our Ambassor to Beijing, wrote of two 'extraordinary petitions' targeting Jinping in context of contagion that disappeared as mysteriously as y h appeared on internet. Ren Zhiquiang and Xu Zhangrun, both members of Establishment according to Gokhale, held Jinping personally responsible for devastation caused in China and around world as a result of poor handling of COVID-19 pandemic. You can re Gokhale's piece here.

This still does t mean that Jinping's project to be President for life is under any challenge. After opening last month, most tre and macroecomic parameters have shown a smart recovery for China. As COVID pandemic goes past peak of Bell curve globally, and banality of life takes over, retribution might be forgotten, even if spreer-in-chief is t forgiven. But between WHA resolution and NPC questions, a new understanding of China is emerging that would shape a new world order that might t keep Kingdom in Middle.

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