China wants to know if you are with it or against it

Beijing has divided world with coronavirus policies, making countries take sides

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A banner of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping in Belgrade, Serbia, pictured on May 11: more than 100 countries have received China's anti-virus overtures with varying degrees of enthusiasm. © Reuters

Thitinan Pongsudhirak teaches at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science in Bangkok and directs its Institute of Security and International Studies.

As the coronavirus crisis continues to reshape geopolitics, the rivalry between China and the U.S. has deteriorated markedly. At issue is whether the international community is prepared to accept China's virus-fighting assistance and its post-COVID position in the world or not. The proposition that "you are with us or against us," not long ago brandished by Washington, is coming more now from Beijing.

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