China is trying to flip the script of the Coronavirus outbreak. Chinese officials and state media are pushing propaganda and conspiracy theories to contest the facts around the origins of the virus. WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you more.

Gravitas: Wuhan Coronavirus: China tries to whitewash the facts

From an app to teach 'The Xi Jinping Thought' to thousands of social media accounts. China is aggressively pushing its message across all mediums. WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you more about China's propaganda franchisees.

Gravitas: Wuhan Coronavirus: China's propaganda franchisees

Leaders of G20 nations held an emergency summit amid the coronavirus outbreak. But, none of the members raised the lapses by China.

WION Edit: Coronavirus: G20 summit fails to fix accountability

The Indian Government has unveiled a $22 billion relief package to ease the life of the poor during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Gravitas: Coronavirus outbreak: India unveils $22 billion relief package

The Wuhan Coronavirus has spread to 175 countries and regions. The disease has taken more than 22,000 lives now. WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay brings you an update.

Gravitas: Wuhan Coronavirus spreads to 175 countries

China claims it has contained the Coronavirus. Factories are reopening. Businesses are resuming operations. Chinese companies are exporting coronavirus supplies. Will China profit from the outbreak? WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay assesses.

Gravitas: Wuhan Coronavirus: Will China profit from the outbreak?

The number of Wuhan Coronavirus cases worldwide has crossed five lakh. WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay gets you the latest numbers.

Gravitas: Wuhan Coronavirus: More than five lakh people infected

When the world is faced with a crisis, leaders come together at different platforms where leaders find solutions and pin responsibility.

However, none of it is happening now.&nbsp;The wrong sides are being allowed to say the right things.

China, the exporter of a global crisis, was given a platform to expound on what the world should be doing.

It's indeed disappointing that the world's most powerful leaders failed to hold China accountable at the G20 Summit.

US President Donald Trump made the most unfortunate u-turn. This is the same man who insisted on calling it the Chinese virus, but the US President has now struck a conciliatory tone with China. He also made a late-night call to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to Trump now, China has developed a strong understanding of the virus.

China's financial might is holding hostage the world's political will. The G20 was an opportunity to hold the Chinese regime accountable. However, G20 member nations did not even dare to politely suggest that China must change its policies to so that deadly viruses do not spread like this.

The world will have to pay a price for not being tough on China. 3.3 million Americans have already filed claims for unemployment. 
&nbsp; 
Economists fear that the unemployment rate in America could reach 13 per cent in about a month from now.

In Germany, 3 million people could be out of work if this crisis is allowed to get more severe. In India, migrant labourers are walking hundreds of miles to return to their villages. This could soon explode into a bigger crisis.

The G20 member-nations should look at these figures, after all, they represent 85 per cent of global GDP. The Wuhan coronavirus crisis is inherently political, it is a failure of China.

(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world) 
&nbsp;

When the world is faced with a crisis, leaders come together at different platforms where leaders find solutions and pin responsibility. However, none of it is happening now.

When the world is faced with a crisis, leaders come together at different platforms where leaders find solutions and pin responsibility. However, none of it is happening now. The wrong sides are being allowed to say the right things. China, the exporter of a global crisis, was given a platform to expound on what the world should be doing. It's indeed disappointing that the world's most powerful leaders failed to hold China accountable at the G20 Summit. US President Donald Trump made the most unfortunate u-turn. This is the same man who insisted on calling it the Chinese virus, but the US President has now struck a conciliatory tone with China. He also made a late-night call to Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Trump now, China has developed a strong understanding of the virus. China's financial might is holding hostage the world's political will. The G20 was an opportunity to hold the Chinese regime accountable. However, G20 member nations did not even dare to politely suggest that China must change its policies to so that deadly viruses do not spread like this. The world will have to pay a price for not being tough on China. 3.3 million Americans have already filed claims for unemployment. Economists fear that the unemployment rate in America could reach 13 per cent in about a month from now. In Germany, 3 million people could be out of work if this crisis is allowed to get more severe. In India, migrant labourers are walking hundreds of miles to return to their villages. This could soon explode into a bigger crisis. The G20 member-nations should look at these figures, after all, they represent 85 per cent of global GDP. The Wuhan coronavirus crisis is inherently political, it is a failure of China. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: G20 Meet - a missed opportunity?

Criminal gangs in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro impose curfew to curb the spread of coronavirus. Whereas Brazil Prez Jair Bolsonaro gives a slow response on this pandemic situation

Criminal Gang Rio's fight against Covid-19, impose curfew to curb the spread

With the number of coronavirus cases rising rapidly, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the United States could become the next epicentre of the pandemic. According to US Surgeon General Dr Jerome Adams, the country is ''already be seeing the beginnings of this in some areas, marking a new stage of the nation's outbreak.''

US bumps china with most number of cases: More than 85,000 COVID cases

In a massive development, British PM Boris Johnson confirmed on Twitter that he is infected with novel coronavirus on Friday. Boris Johnson said "over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus" in a tweet.

WION Dispatch: UK PM Boris Johnson tests positive for coronavirus

In the wake of the global coronavirus scare, a new COVID-19 test has been proven to be effective in diagnosing the infection in less than 2.5 hours — courtesy Robert Bosch GmbH.

The new test uses the Vivalytic molecular diagnostics platform made by Bosch's health-care division. The device has earlier been successfully used to in the diagnosis of influenza and pneumonia.&nbsp;

It will be available in Germany in April and sold in international markets.

The ability to detect Covid-19 faster is key to stemming its spread.&nbsp;

Bosch said its rapid test can be performed entirely at the point of care. It was developed in six weeks and can diagnose 10 respiratory pathogens simultaneously, with an accuracy rate of more than 95 per cent.

Scientists are simultaneously assessing the reliability of blood-based tests that can make the diagnosis process even faster.

Meanwhile, cases of infections of the deadly coronavirus have surpassed 5,30,000 worldwide on Friday and global deaths have risen past 24,000.

In the wake of the global coronavirus scare, a new COVID-19 test has been proven to be effective in diagnosing the infection in less than 2.5 hours — courtesy Robert Bosch GmbH.

In the wake of the global coronavirus scare, a new COVID-19 test has been proven to be effective in diagnosing the infection in less than 2.5 hours — courtesy Robert Bosch GmbH. The new test uses the Vivalytic molecular diagnostics platform made by Bosch's health-care division. The device has earlier been successfully used to in the diagnosis of influenza and pneumonia. It will be available in Germany in April and sold in international markets. The ability to detect Covid-19 faster is key to stemming its spread. Bosch said its rapid test can be performed entirely at the point of care. It was developed in six weeks and can diagnose 10 respiratory pathogens simultaneously, with an accuracy rate of more than 95 per cent. Scientists are simultaneously assessing the reliability of blood-based tests that can make the diagnosis process even faster. Meanwhile, cases of infections of the deadly coronavirus have surpassed 5,30,000 worldwide on Friday and global deaths have risen past 24,000.

New coronavirus test to shorten wait from two days to 2.5 hours

News Alert: Boris Johnson tests positive of COVID-19

By Allen Cheng

According to Google Trends, the top globally trending topic this week is “orthohantavirus”, as spurious sites claim it’s the next pandemic on the horizon.

Take it from me: it’s not.

This baseless claim circulating online underscores the need to get health information from reputable sources – and that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on social media.

What is orthohantavirus? 
 
“Orthohantavirus” - commonly known as hantavirus – is a very, very rare virus. There have never been confirmed human cases in Australia. The last two reported confirmed cases worldwide were in January in Bolivia and Argentina.

It is, in a class of diseases, called zoonoses, meaning it is a virus transmitted from animals to human. In this case, the animal in question is rodents (usually rats). Hantaviruses can cause severe disease, including bleeding and kidney failure.

How does hantavirus spread? 
 
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantavirus is spread from several species of rodents in their urine, droppings, and saliva. It is thought that transmission occurs when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus.

CDC also reports: 
1. if a rodent with the virus bites someone, the virus may be spread to that person, but this type of transmission is rare; 
2. scientists believe that people may be able to get the virus if they touch something that has been contaminated with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, and then touch their nose or mouth; 
3.scientists also suspect people can become sick if they eat food contaminated by urine, droppings, or saliva from an infected rodent.

How worried should I be about hantavirus? 
 
Not very. In general, infectious disease specialists do worry about zoonoses – the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and Ebola are both important recent examples of animal-associated diseases that have crossed the species barrier.

Hantavirus, however, is not thought to be a big threat at the moment.

There’s certainly no chatter among infectious disease physicians about hantavirus right now. I’m not seeing anything concerning about it on any of my researcher networks and mailing lists that warn about virus outbreaks.

There was a recent report of a single case in China but there’s no indication of any sort of spread.

I think, for now, let’s concentrate on the pandemic we have – which is a coronavirus and also the annual influenza season – rather than worry about uncommon viruses.

However, this coronavirus outbreak and everything that’s come before reinforces that we need early warning systems to work out what’s out there that could be threatening.

Yes, it is true that animals carry a lot of viruses but very few come across to humans.

Hantavirus is certainly not one we are particularly concerned about right now.

(Allen Cheng is Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University) 
 
(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-orthohantavirus-the-virus-many-are-googling-but-you-really-dont-need-to-worry-about-134901">original article</a>) 
&nbsp;

By Allen Cheng According to Google Trends, the top globally trending topic this week is “orthohantavirus”, as spurious sites claim it’s the next pandemic on the horizon.

By Allen Cheng According to Google Trends, the top globally trending topic this week is “orthohantavirus”, as spurious sites claim it’s the next pandemic on the horizon. Take it from me: it’s not. This baseless claim circulating online underscores the need to get health information from reputable sources – and that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on social media. What is orthohantavirus? “Orthohantavirus” - commonly known as hantavirus – is a very, very rare virus. There have never been confirmed human cases in Australia. The last two reported confirmed cases worldwide were in January in Bolivia and Argentina. It is, in a class of diseases, called zoonoses, meaning it is a virus transmitted from animals to human. In this case, the animal in question is rodents (usually rats). Hantaviruses can cause severe disease, including bleeding and kidney failure. How does hantavirus spread? According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantavirus is spread from several species of rodents in their urine, droppings, and saliva. It is thought that transmission occurs when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus. CDC also reports: 1. if a rodent with the virus bites someone, the virus may be spread to that person, but this type of transmission is rare; 2. scientists believe that people may be able to get the virus if they touch something that has been contaminated with rodent urine, droppings, or saliva, and then touch their nose or mouth; 3.scientists also suspect people can become sick if they eat food contaminated by urine, droppings, or saliva from an infected rodent. How worried should I be about hantavirus? Not very. In general, infectious disease specialists do worry about zoonoses – the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and Ebola are both important recent examples of animal-associated diseases that have crossed the species barrier. Hantavirus, however, is not thought to be a big threat at the moment. There’s certainly no chatter among infectious disease physicians about hantavirus right now. I’m not seeing anything concerning about it on any of my researcher networks and mailing lists that warn about virus outbreaks. There was a recent report of a single case in China but there’s no indication of any sort of spread. I think, for now, let’s concentrate on the pandemic we have – which is a coronavirus and also the annual influenza season – rather than worry about uncommon viruses. However, this coronavirus outbreak and everything that’s come before reinforces that we need early warning systems to work out what’s out there that could be threatening. Yes, it is true that animals carry a lot of viruses but very few come across to humans. Hantavirus is certainly not one we are particularly concerned about right now. (Allen Cheng is Professor in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology, Monash University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article)

What is orthohantavirus? All you need to know about the virus

The Labor Department reported Thursday that Americans are filing for unemployment benefits, the number surged to 3.3 million last week, which happens to be the highest number ever recorded.

Coronavirus Outbreak: 3.3 mn Americans file for unemployment | WION News

India’s electricity use fell to the lowest in nearly five months on the first day of a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus with monthly power consumption likely to fall for the first time in four months.

National electricity demand fell to 2.78 billion units on March 25, the first day of the three-week total shutdown called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi late on Tuesday. That was nearly 20 per cent below the average of 3.45 billion units per day in the first three weeks of March, a Reuters analysis of government data showed.

If demand continues at these reduced levels, India’s electricity consumption for March is set to decline at the fastest pace year-on-year since October, when power use fell at its steepest in over 12 years due to a broad economic slowdown.

While electricity usage contracted nationally, consumption actually rose slightly in some states, raising concerns that the shutdown may not have been fully observed in all areas, although officials said higher temperatures may have contributed.

"The last few days have been hotter and that could have increased the residential load," said Arvind Kumar, Chairman of the state-run Uttar Pradesh Power Corp Ltd.

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, used 3.4 per cent more power on March 25 than the average over the first three weeks of March, while surrounding states such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh recorded decreases of over 40 per cent each.

The streets of Uttar Pradesh’s state capital Lucknow were largely deserted on Wednesday, the first day of the shutdown, except for labourers struggling to find transport home, a Reuters eyewitness said.

However, east of Lucknow, powerlooms were up and running through the night in the town of Zaidpur, the owner of a textile embroidery firm told Reuters on Thursday.

"I operated it myself," the proprietor said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. Other powerlooms in the town were also running as they do not require much labour, the owner said.

Still, the extent and impact of potential breaches of the government shutdown is unclear.

The rise in power usage in populous states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar may have been due to the use of household air conditioners and other appliances, said Victor Vanya, director at power analytics firm EMA Solutions.

"Higher household consumption could have negated the drop in industrial or commercial load but there needs to be further investigation," he said.

States such as Odisha and Jharkhand also showed slight increases in power usage, but these are mineral-rich regions and mining remains an essential service.

(With inputs from Reuters)

India’s electricity use fell to the lowest in nearly five months on the first day of a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus with monthly power consumption likely to fall for the first time in four months.

India’s electricity use fell to the lowest in nearly five months on the first day of a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus with monthly power consumption likely to fall for the first time in four months. National electricity demand fell to 2.78 billion units on March 25, the first day of the three-week total shutdown called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi late on Tuesday. That was nearly 20 per cent below the average of 3.45 billion units per day in the first three weeks of March, a Reuters analysis of government data showed. If demand continues at these reduced levels, India’s electricity consumption for March is set to decline at the fastest pace year-on-year since October, when power use fell at its steepest in over 12 years due to a broad economic slowdown. While electricity usage contracted nationally, consumption actually rose slightly in some states, raising concerns that the shutdown may not have been fully observed in all areas, although officials said higher temperatures may have contributed. "The last few days have been hotter and that could have increased the residential load," said Arvind Kumar, Chairman of the state-run Uttar Pradesh Power Corp Ltd. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, used 3.4 per cent more power on March 25 than the average over the first three weeks of March, while surrounding states such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh recorded decreases of over 40 per cent each. The streets of Uttar Pradesh’s state capital Lucknow were largely deserted on Wednesday, the first day of the shutdown, except for labourers struggling to find transport home, a Reuters eyewitness said. However, east of Lucknow, powerlooms were up and running through the night in the town of Zaidpur, the owner of a textile embroidery firm told Reuters on Thursday. "I operated it myself," the proprietor said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. Other powerlooms in the town were also running as they do not require much labour, the owner said. Still, the extent and impact of potential breaches of the government shutdown is unclear. The rise in power usage in populous states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar may have been due to the use of household air conditioners and other appliances, said Victor Vanya, director at power analytics firm EMA Solutions. "Higher household consumption could have negated the drop in industrial or commercial load but there needs to be further investigation," he said. States such as Odisha and Jharkhand also showed slight increases in power usage, but these are mineral-rich regions and mining remains an essential service. (With inputs from Reuters)

India’s electricity demand falls to 5-month low after coronavirus lockdown

Europe continues to remain worst affected continent. The coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 15,500 people in Europe.

Coronavirus Outbreak: Europe continues to remain worst affected continent

China has drastically cut its international flight routes and bar entry to returning foreigners based in the country to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Coronavirus Outbreak: China drastically cuts international flights

Coronavirus pandemic needs a united response, the collective might of the world's largest economies.

World leaders need to summon the spirit of international cooperation and in the process, they need to seek accountability about why their citizens are in such dire straits today. The G20 held a two-hour-long emergency Summit. There was no jostling to be in the front row for a group photograph this time.

This one was different, it was a closed-door virtual meeting. The leaders met online to find solutions for the coronavirus crisis. 
 
WATCH:

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Also present at the Summit were&nbsp;the World Health Organisation and UN representatives. The agenda in the words of the G20 chair for this year, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, was for its members to carry out responsibilities as leaders of the world's largest economies.

None of the G20 member nations sought accountability for the damage done. There was no discussion on how one of them neglected necessary measures to control the outbreak. No mention of how the wrongful conduct of the WHO delayed global response.&nbsp;

And no mention of how China has now got down to blaming the very victims of this virus.&nbsp;

In fact, China, in tandem with the WHO, was allowed to preach the heads of states on what they ought to do. President Xi Jinping was provided an easy platform to play the good samaritan and read sermons about removing barriers.

Speaking at the summit, Xi Jinping urged fellow members nations to facilitate trade and cut tariffs, saying China is ready to step-up import and increase foreign investment.

A joint statement was issued after the G20 Summit,&nbsp;and neither China nor the WHO was held accountable.&nbsp;

It's been three months and the health body has only mirrored Chinese propaganda, it's always been a step behind. Beijing is holding the WHO hostage. The coronavirus is still a continuing challenge.

(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

Coronavirus pandemic needs a united response, the collective might of the world's largest economies. World leaders need to summon the spirit of international cooperation and in the process, they need to seek accountability about why their citizens are in such dire straits today.

Coronavirus pandemic needs a united response, the collective might of the world's largest economies. World leaders need to summon the spirit of international cooperation and in the process, they need to seek accountability about why their citizens are in such dire straits today. The G20 held a two-hour-long emergency Summit. There was no jostling to be in the front row for a group photograph this time. This one was different, it was a closed-door virtual meeting. The leaders met online to find solutions for the coronavirus crisis. WATCH: × Also present at the Summit were the World Health Organisation and UN representatives. The agenda in the words of the G20 chair for this year, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, was for its members to carry out responsibilities as leaders of the world's largest economies. None of the G20 member nations sought accountability for the damage done. There was no discussion on how one of them neglected necessary measures to control the outbreak. No mention of how the wrongful conduct of the WHO delayed global response. And no mention of how China has now got down to blaming the very victims of this virus. In fact, China, in tandem with the WHO, was allowed to preach the heads of states on what they ought to do. President Xi Jinping was provided an easy platform to play the good samaritan and read sermons about removing barriers. Speaking at the summit, Xi Jinping urged fellow members nations to facilitate trade and cut tariffs, saying China is ready to step-up import and increase foreign investment. A joint statement was issued after the G20 Summit, and neither China nor the WHO was held accountable. It's been three months and the health body has only mirrored Chinese propaganda, it's always been a step behind. Beijing is holding the WHO hostage. The coronavirus is still a continuing challenge. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: Coronavirus outbreak - G20 Summit failed to fix accountability

The question is not if, but when the long-standing American defence umbrella in the Gulf, the world’s most militarised and volatile region, will be replaced by a multilateral security arrangement that would have to include China, as well as, Russia.

The United States’ perceived diminishing commitment to the Gulf and the broader Middle East and mounting doubts about the deterrence value of its defence umbrella leave the Gulf stuck between a rock and a hard place. The American umbrella is shrinking, but neither China nor Russia, despite their obvious interests, are capable or willing simply to shoulder the responsibility, political risk and cost of replacing it.

On balance, China’s interests seem self-evident. It needs to secure its mushrooming political and economic interests in the Gulf, which includes ensuring the flow of oil and gas and protecting its infrastructure investment and the expanding Chinese diaspora in the region. Nonetheless, China has, so far, refrained from putting its might where its money is, free-riding instead (in the words of US officials) on America’s regional military presence.

China’s approach is grounded in the belief that economics rather than geopolitics is the key to solving disputes

Indeed, for the longest time, China has been able to outsource the protection of its interests to the United States at virtually no cost. For the US, guaranteeing security in the Gulf has been anchored in an American policy which accepted that maintaining security far beyond the borders of the United States was in America’s national interest, including the protection of Chinese assets. All China needed to do, therefore, was to make minimal gestures such as contributing to the multi-national effort in the Gulf and adjacent waters to counter Somali pirates.

In the meantime, China could pursue a long-term strategy to bolster its capabilities. This included infrastructure projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with dual-purpose potential (such as the strategic ports of Gwadar in Pakistan and Duqm in Oman as well as commercial investment in Dubai’s Jebel Ali), the creation of China’s first overseas military facility in Djibouti, and significant expenditure on upgrading the Chinese armed forces.

All that potentially changed with the rise of US President Donald J Trump, who advocated an America First policy that attributed little value to past US commitments or to maintaining existing alliances. Hence Trump embarked on a trade war with China – viewed as a strategic competitor – and appeared to fuel rather than resolve regional stability by uncritically aligning American policy with that of Saudi Arabia and Israel and targeted Iran as the source of all evil.

This change has yet to translate into specific Chinese policy statements or actions. Nonetheless, the anticipated shift from a unipolar to multilateral security architecture in the Gulf has cast a new light on the first-ever joint naval exercise involving Chinese, Russian and Iranian naval forces, as well as China’s seemingly lukewarm support for a Russian proposal for a multilateral security approach in the Gulf.

China was careful to signal that neither the joint exercise nor its closer military ties with a host of other Middle Eastern nations meant it was aspiring to a greater role in regional security any time soon. If anything, both the exercise and China’s notional support for Russia’s proposed restructuring of regional security suggest that China envisions a continued US lead in Gulf security, despite the mounting rivalry between the world’s two largest economies.

The Russian proposal in many ways fits China’s bill. Its calls for a multilateral structure involving Russia, China, the United States, Europe and India that would evolve out of a regional security conference along the lines of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). While backing Russia’s proposal in general terms, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang stopped short of specifically endorsing it. Geng welcomed ‘all proposals and diplomatic efforts conducive to de-escalating the situation in the Gulf region’.

China’s reluctance to endorse the Russian proposal more wholeheartedly is rooted in differing approaches towards multilateralism in general and alliances in particular. China shies away from alliances, with their emphasis on geo-economics rather than geopolitics, while Russia still operates in terms of alliances. Despite favouring a continued American lead, China sees a broadening of security arrangements that would embed rather than replace the US defence umbrella in the Gulf as a way to reduce regional tensions.

China also believes that a multilateral arrangement would allow it to continue to steer clear of being sucked into conflicts and disputes in the Middle East, particularly the Saudi-Iranian rivalry. A multilateral arrangement,&nbsp;in which the US remained the key military player, would further fit the pattern of China’s gradual projection of its growing military power beyond its borders.

With the exception of the facility in Djibouti, China’s projection becomes less hardcore the further one gets from the borders of the People’s Republic. More fundamentally, China’s approach is grounded in the belief that economics rather than geopolitics is the key to solving disputes, which so far has allowed it to remain detached from the Middle East’s multiple conflicts. It remains to be seen how sustainable this approach is in the long term.

Such an approach is unlikely to shield China forever from the Middle East’s penchant for ensuring it is at the heart of the major external parties’ concerns. And as Jiang Xudong, a Middle East scholar at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, puts it: ‘Economic investment will not solve all other problems when there are religious and ethnic conflicts at play’. 
 
&nbsp;(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The question is not if, but when the long-standing American defence umbrella in the Gulf, the world’s most militarised and volatile region, will be replaced by a multilateral security arrangement that would have to include China, as well as, Russia.

The question is not if, but when the long-standing American defence umbrella in the Gulf, the world’s most militarised and volatile region, will be replaced by a multilateral security arrangement that would have to include China, as well as, Russia. The United States’ perceived diminishing commitment to the Gulf and the broader Middle East and mounting doubts about the deterrence value of its defence umbrella leave the Gulf stuck between a rock and a hard place. The American umbrella is shrinking, but neither China nor Russia, despite their obvious interests, are capable or willing simply to shoulder the responsibility, political risk and cost of replacing it. On balance, China’s interests seem self-evident. It needs to secure its mushrooming political and economic interests in the Gulf, which includes ensuring the flow of oil and gas and protecting its infrastructure investment and the expanding Chinese diaspora in the region. Nonetheless, China has, so far, refrained from putting its might where its money is, free-riding instead (in the words of US officials) on America’s regional military presence. China’s approach is grounded in the belief that economics rather than geopolitics is the key to solving disputes Indeed, for the longest time, China has been able to outsource the protection of its interests to the United States at virtually no cost. For the US, guaranteeing security in the Gulf has been anchored in an American policy which accepted that maintaining security far beyond the borders of the United States was in America’s national interest, including the protection of Chinese assets. All China needed to do, therefore, was to make minimal gestures such as contributing to the multi-national effort in the Gulf and adjacent waters to counter Somali pirates. In the meantime, China could pursue a long-term strategy to bolster its capabilities. This included infrastructure projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with dual-purpose potential (such as the strategic ports of Gwadar in Pakistan and Duqm in Oman as well as commercial investment in Dubai’s Jebel Ali), the creation of China’s first overseas military facility in Djibouti, and significant expenditure on upgrading the Chinese armed forces. All that potentially changed with the rise of US President Donald J Trump, who advocated an America First policy that attributed little value to past US commitments or to maintaining existing alliances. Hence Trump embarked on a trade war with China – viewed as a strategic competitor – and appeared to fuel rather than resolve regional stability by uncritically aligning American policy with that of Saudi Arabia and Israel and targeted Iran as the source of all evil. This change has yet to translate into specific Chinese policy statements or actions. Nonetheless, the anticipated shift from a unipolar to multilateral security architecture in the Gulf has cast a new light on the first-ever joint naval exercise involving Chinese, Russian and Iranian naval forces, as well as China’s seemingly lukewarm support for a Russian proposal for a multilateral security approach in the Gulf. China was careful to signal that neither the joint exercise nor its closer military ties with a host of other Middle Eastern nations meant it was aspiring to a greater role in regional security any time soon. If anything, both the exercise and China’s notional support for Russia’s proposed restructuring of regional security suggest that China envisions a continued US lead in Gulf security, despite the mounting rivalry between the world’s two largest economies. The Russian proposal in many ways fits China’s bill. Its calls for a multilateral structure involving Russia, China, the United States, Europe and India that would evolve out of a regional security conference along the lines of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). While backing Russia’s proposal in general terms, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang stopped short of specifically endorsing it. Geng welcomed ‘all proposals and diplomatic efforts conducive to de-escalating the situation in the Gulf region’. China’s reluctance to endorse the Russian proposal more wholeheartedly is rooted in differing approaches towards multilateralism in general and alliances in particular. China shies away from alliances, with their emphasis on geo-economics rather than geopolitics, while Russia still operates in terms of alliances. Despite favouring a continued American lead, China sees a broadening of security arrangements that would embed rather than replace the US defence umbrella in the Gulf as a way to reduce regional tensions. China also believes that a multilateral arrangement would allow it to continue to steer clear of being sucked into conflicts and disputes in the Middle East, particularly the Saudi-Iranian rivalry. A multilateral arrangement, in which the US remained the key military player, would further fit the pattern of China’s gradual projection of its growing military power beyond its borders. With the exception of the facility in Djibouti, China’s projection becomes less hardcore the further one gets from the borders of the People’s Republic. More fundamentally, China’s approach is grounded in the belief that economics rather than geopolitics is the key to solving disputes, which so far has allowed it to remain detached from the Middle East’s multiple conflicts. It remains to be seen how sustainable this approach is in the long term. Such an approach is unlikely to shield China forever from the Middle East’s penchant for ensuring it is at the heart of the major external parties’ concerns. And as Jiang Xudong, a Middle East scholar at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, puts it: ‘Economic investment will not solve all other problems when there are religious and ethnic conflicts at play’. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

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