It can be ascertained that based on the current power relations and dynamics and the fact that the world’s great economic and military powers constitute the QUAD, it can be an effective balancer to China. QUAD has the capability and the future to create a multipolar order in the Free and open Indo-Pacific.
Facebook, Instagram and many other social media giants are banned in China, while Tiktok, a Chinese app, is used by the youth across almost every country. This shows that China may have been trying to have its own global social media dominance.
The disrupted supply chains in China, owing to its delay in identifying the pandemic and trade disputes with Washington, have alerted the global economic corporations that are now finding alternatives for manufacture and investment
Eradication of cybercrime, is starkly the need of the hour, and it is the undeniable reality and a Gordian knot that authorities around the world ought to cut by taking the severest of actions against the perpetrators without delay.
China has strategized and exploited India based on India’s continental bias. While our land frontiers are important, equal importance must be given to our oceans as well. Perhaps, response to Chinese aggression on land can be given by Indian action at sea, particularly by jeopardising their critical SLOCs.
There are still significant security issues facing the Philippines on many fronts. Militant groups take advantage of the outbreak of COVID-19 and are actively promoting violence and aggression against government forces and innocent civilians. Now more than ever, it is imperative for the government to respond effectively not only to the challenges raised by the COVID-19 virus but also to the country’s threats of terrorism.
In a post-COVID-19 world order, the India-Australia relationship can significantly shape geopolitical dynamics. Not only does the relationship possess the capacity to jointly dominate the Indo-Pacific narrative with the U.S and Japan as allies, but to also carve out an International Treaty on a “Free, Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific”, one that integrates the Indo-Pacific visions of India, the U.S and the ASEAN, and that upholds freedom of navigation and a rules-based order in the region.
The post COVID-19 world will no doubt recover from the damage but, its socio-economic and political impact can linger well beyond its immediate exit. Nevertheless, even the most negative forecast about the economies of countries may not imply that the world can survive on a disconnected and isolated world. The power politics and superpower rivalry will continue to make headlines.
While China’s image is crumbling due to COVID-19, the supply of faulty kits, and assertive actions on multiple fronts, including in the South China Sea and IOR, India has an opportunity to emerge as a regional leader with the help of its soft and cultural diplomacy.
Several people have raised concerns over the overarching powers of government-employed during the pandemic. Contact tracing apps have been blamed for increased central control and surveillance through personal data collection.