America’s international relationships are always fluctuating.  But perhaps now more than ever due to the impacts on globalization from COVID-19.  China – until now has had very strong relationships with America, albeit strained.  But what impact has COVID-19 had on that and will have on that for the future.  In a recent Economic Times article, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said:

“For a very long time, there had been a desire to extend to China special privileges and benefits, and even the benefit of the doubt among them, to bring China into a more modern and prosperous future. Twenty years ago when that initiative was launched in earnest with China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, the bet by most policymakers was that eventually, the weight of the institutions that China was joining would slowly redirect the Chinese political system and Chinese interests to a point where China would become much more invested in a rules-based order.”

And what about the rest of Asia?  Japan has had diplomatic ties with the western giant since the late 1950s.  But now – even without adding coronavirus to the mix – there is the departure of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  According to an official statement, Abe has: “made the U.S.-Japan alliance, and our overall relationship, the strongest it has ever been.”

For close to 10 years, Abe has been a staunch friend of America.  Once that partnership is gone, and give the issues China is now facing with America, this could severely impact the entire east-west alliance.  

In addition, over the years America has become more dependent on Asian relations, especially Chinese ones, most notably in pharmaceutical and other related-health industries.  But the pandemic is negatively effecting that now.