LONDON – The global coronavirus pandemic has intensified rivalry between the US and China, increasing future instability in international diplomatic relations, according to an annual report on global risks by the World Economic Forum.
The report, which draws on the views of hundreds of executives and academics attached to the WEF, as well as risk management specialists, says the pandemic threatens to increase income and other inequalities within and between societies, increasing the risks of a further break in some people increase. states and in international relations.
Covid-19 “has entrenched state power and intensified rivalry between the United States and China,” the report said, forcing other powers to take sides.
“With weakening of alliances, diplomatic relations will become more unstable in places where superpower tectonic plates meet or withdraw,” it says. This trend is emphasized because a lack of face-to-face discussions has hampered traditional diplomacy.
The report is usually published just before the WEF’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. This year, the meeting was postponed due to the pandemic until May, when it will take place in Singapore. Next week, the forum will host a virtual meeting that includes addresses of leaders such as Chinese Xi Jinping and Indian Narendra Modi.