UK coronavirus live: test and trace figures show performance falling back on three key indicators

New polling – conducted for YouGov on behalf of the Institute – shows there has been, during the Covid crisis, a sharp move in western public opinion to a markedly more hostile attitude towards China. In our report on the polling, published today, we explore the consequences of this and the need for the west to take a strategic and not ad hoc or purely reactive view of west/China relations. In framing such a strategic view, we should be mindful of distinguishing between two different developments. The first is that we are now dealing not with a rising China but a risen China and this rise is both inevitable and right. China is a large population country – three times the size of the USA – an ancient civilisation with deep roots of intellect and culture, an economic power, a technology innovator, and therefore for sure set to take its place as a global superpower. Given the deep economic links between China and the west, cold war analogies are misleading and dangerous.

On the other hand, in recent years China’s leadership has moved to a much more assertive/aggressive posture, internally and externally, consolidating power in the hands of the Communist party and becoming more combative in its relations with other countries with whom it has disagreements. And in respect of Covid-19, there is no doubt that there are serious questions to be asked of China’s government.