Taking a recap into the pre-Covid world we would know that the political situation with China was far from bad but it wasn't good enough, though Xi was making his way into some long-lasting friendship.
- Japan’s Shinzo Abe made an official visit to China in 2019, the first by a Japanese prime minister in seven years. During the visit, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Abe agreed to accelerate cooperation between China and Japan for a “new era.” Xi was also planning a visit to his neighbour to maintain the new bilateral relationship.
- The U.S. and China had signed a deal in January to end their 22-month-long trade war during which the two countries slapped tariff hikes on products worth nearly half a trillion USD. Under it, Beijing agreed to increase its purchase of U.S. goods by USD 200 billion in 2020-2021.
- During the Chennai Connect Summit in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that the two countries will “prudently manage their differences and not allow differences on any issue to become dispute”. The summit marked a new beginning in the Sino-India relationship.
Present Political Challenges for Xi Jinping
- Speaking about the trade deal between the US and China, Donald Trump said in a press conference that after the pandemic hit the United States he started to feel 'differently' about the deal though earlier, he was 'very excited'.
“But once the virus came in, once the plague, as I called it, came in, I said how did they let that happen? And how come it didn’t go into other sections of China? Why did they block it from leaving Wuhan? But they didn’t block it from going to the rest of the world, including the United States. Why is that? Beijing doesn’t have it. Other places don’t have it,” Trump said.
After this statement, Trump has been continuously blaming China for the spread of the virus and been threatened to cut ties on the trade deal, therefore hinting a 'Cold War' between the countries.
- As the pandemic hit Wuhan, Japan initiated efforts by sending masks and protective gear to the country. Also when the entire world tried to block transportation to Wuhan to percent the spread of the virus, Japan did not immediately close up its borders to China. These actions give a hint that Sino-Japan relations have improved
- India and China are going through a crucial phase as Tension escalated in Ladakh after a physical confrontation between Indian Army troops and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on May 5 at Pangong Tso lake. A military buildup on both sides followed the confrontation soon after along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Though the External Affairs Ministry and the Defence Ministry have informed that both the countries have agreed to solve the matter with peace, talks are still ongoing.
Being the President of the People's Republic Of China for an indefinite period, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, as well as the supreme commander of the People’s Liberation Army, Xi Jinping's 67th birthday has brought more challenges than celebration.