China

The United States will not be able to protect its people until it stamps out the virus in every corner of the world. Such an outcome will not be possible unless a consortium of powers pools its capabilities to do so. It’s hard to imagine that occurring until the United States and China find a way toward even a minimal level of coordination (e.g., on vaccine trials, production, and delivery).

To keep the focus where it needs to be in the midst of this crisis — saving lives and stopping the spread of the virus — it would be helpful if both Washington and Beijing could commit now, that after the crisis has passed, they both will fully and transparently support a UN-led after-action report of Covid-19, whereby leading scientists could determine the origin of the virus, causes of its rapid spread, and lessons that must be learned to prevent a recurrence.

I am sceptical[sic] that many countries will soon forget China's early missteps that contributed to the global spread of the virus.

[Efforts by Beijing to trumpet the superiority of the Chinese system in its response to COVID-19 while also pushing fringe conspiracy theories blaming the US as the origin] serve as reminders of China’s lethally botched initial response to the outbreak of the virus in Wuhan. Recognising this reputational risk, Chinese propagandists are feverishly attempting to rewrite the COVID-19 narrative to place their leaders in a favourable light. This throws the world’s two most powerful countries in a narrative war, underscoring geopolitical rivalry and further tensions in the future.