'China using opportunity to take over global institutions amid COVID': Vijay Gokhale

India's former Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale asserted that Chinese President Xi Jinping is speedily carrying out a campaign to take over the international institutions like the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) as the world spins to Coronavirus crisis.

Gokhale, who is also the former Indian ambassador to China, said that China officials are in fire fighting mode to regain their reputation, which is under fire for their part in the pandemic. The country further reproached their move to assert control over Hong Kong, he added.

Sharing his opinion with an international daily, Gokhale further disclosed that President Xi has left Coronavirus battle to his subordinates as he is engaged in a bigger campaign that is "taking over the international institutions like the World Health Organisation and the United Nations, that manage the world."

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"Contrary to speculation, China has always said it is not seeking to overthrow the global order. We should listen. Why would China go to the trouble of capsizing the global order when it can simply take it over, whole and intact?," Gokhale pointed out.

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China biggest beneficiary of globalisation: Gokhale

He further opined that China is the biggest beneficiary of globalisation. It has systematically used Western-led multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to advance its interests and influence.

"Though still fighting for greater control of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it has determinedly captured the leadership of four key United Nations agencies that set international rules and standards. (It almost claimed a fifth, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, this year.)," he revealed.

China has steadily been building up its influence

The diplomat is of the view that China has steadily been building up its influence in international institutions for years by funding them. China's message to the world is clear that "China is ready to pick up the slack, as the United States retreats from its global responsibilities", he said.

"For a world exhausted and impoverished by the pandemic, it's a seductive proposition. Anybody who takes the reins will be good enough; few will ponder its significance for the global order. Development and stability, not China's ambitions to lead, are the priorities for most countries," he said.

Adding further Gokhale said that China had stumbled at the start of the pandemic but the West appears to be "losing the moral high ground." "The world needs balance at the moment, no country other than the United States has the means to ensure it. At a practical level, its leadership is indispensable," he stated.

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(With inputs from ANI)