The spread of the New Crown epidemic worldwide has made it an event that has a major impact on world politics and economy. Some researchers began to compare the New Crown Epidemic with the events of “World War I”, “World War II”, and the 2008 financial crisis.
Why does the new crown epidemic spread globally? The new crown epidemic is special because of one reason. Some professionals believe that the new coronavirus may be the most difficult to deal with in human history. In the face of such a virus, the existing plans and prevention measures have failed. Another reason is that the partial failure of global governance has also caused the international community to fail to effectively stop the spread of the epidemic worldwide.
The global damage caused by the new crown epidemic is heavy. It not only caused the death of tens of thousands of people in some countries, but also caused a serious impact on the world economy. After this painful lesson, countries around the world and the international community will also reflect on it. Including reflection on the current problems in global governance, and thinking about the future direction of global governance. We believe that after this epidemic, global governance may change in the following areas.
First, the form and content of globalization will change
First, the form and content of globalization will change
Globalization is a basic feature of today ’s era. Globalization has advantages and disadvantages.
As far as the economy is concerned, globalization through division of labor and global trade will be more conducive to the effective distribution of resources on a global scale and can increase productivity worldwide. . The disadvantage of globalization is that it will lead to the unfair distribution of wealth among countries and within various strata of the country, and it will easily lead to the differentiation of the rich and the poor. Due to the drawbacks of globalization, some countries oppose globalization. These countries have safeguarded their national interests by encouraging measures such as the return of manufacturing industries and raising import tariffs, thus forming an anti-globalization trend.
The outbreak of the new crown epidemic has led to aggravation of globalization in some countries. Some people believe that the spread of the epidemic in the world is due to the frequent exchange of personnel and other exchanges between countries. The developed countries such as the United States, France, and Italy, which caused the epidemic, have been snapping up medical supplies such as masks around the world, which has also plunged these countries into a very embarrassing situation. These countries can manufacture high-end products such as satellites and airplanes, but even low-end products such as masks cannot be quickly mass-produced.
The outbreak of the new crown epidemic has led to aggravation of globalization in some countries. Some people believe that the spread of the epidemic in the world is due to the frequent exchange of personnel and other exchanges between countries. The developed countries such as the United States, France, and Italy, which caused the epidemic, have been snapping up medical supplies such as masks around the world, which has also plunged these countries into a very embarrassing situation. These countries can manufacture high-end products such as satellites and airplanes, but even low-end products such as masks cannot be quickly mass-produced.
The epidemic also led to the interruption of some global value chains and industrial chains, which also made no country able to protect itself. For example, although China has strong industrial manufacturing capabilities, it can even provide global production and provide masks at this stage. , Protective clothing and other medical supplies, but China’s ventilator industry capacity cannot be rapidly expanded in a short period of time to meet more and more foreign demand. The main reason is that some core key technologies of ventilator production are still in the hands of Western countries. Some key components also need to be imported from Western countries. The severe epidemic situation in Western countries and the insufficient supply of components have restricted the further expansion of China’s ventilator production.
China ’s foreign trade The industry has encountered similar problems. The situation facing China’s foreign trade industry can be described as a setback in this epidemic. When the epidemic broke out in China but not yet in other countries, China’s foreign trade industry faced insufficient construction and could not meet the needs of foreign orders Problem. And the epidemic in China is basically under control, and the work is resumed. , The United States and other countries and regions spread when China’s foreign trade industry is facing Western countries to cancel the order or reduce orders, can not live dry situation.
Based on this situation, how will the new crown epidemic cause globalization? We believe that the general trend of globalization will not change. As communications and transportation become more developed, exchanges and cooperation between countries will become more convenient, so globalization is the trend of the times. But the form and content of globalization will undergo some changes. Some countries will leave the production of key areas and core products at home or reconfigure globally. For example, in the United States, after the epidemic, the industry chain involving key areas of national economy and people ’s livelihood may be kept as far as possible in the country, or the industry chain may be reconfigured in a country that is consistent with its political system and values or has no potential conflicts. That is to say, after the outbreak, the globalization of some industries may be reversed, the industrial chain may shrink, and it will be more concentrated in one country or a few countries. Of course, this only refers to the economic globalization trend. As for other aspects of globalization, such as culture and technology, the trend of globalization is inevitable.
Second, global governance in the field of non-traditional security will attract more attention
Based on this situation, how will the new crown epidemic cause globalization? We believe that the general trend of globalization will not change. As communications and transportation become more developed, exchanges and cooperation between countries will become more convenient, so globalization is the trend of the times. But the form and content of globalization will undergo some changes. Some countries will leave the production of key areas and core products at home or reconfigure globally. For example, in the United States, after the epidemic, the industry chain involving key areas of national economy and people ’s livelihood may be kept as far as possible in the country, or the industry chain may be reconfigured in a country that is consistent with its political system and values or has no potential conflicts. That is to say, after the outbreak, the globalization of some industries may be reversed, the industrial chain may shrink, and it will be more concentrated in one country or a few countries. Of course, this only refers to the economic globalization trend. As for other aspects of globalization, such as culture and technology, the trend of globalization is inevitable.
Second, global governance in the field of non-traditional security will attract more attention
From the perspective of national security, security can be divided into traditional security And non-traditional security. Traditional security fields include military, political, and diplomatic fields, and non-traditional security fields include economy, ecology, information, resources, and terrorism, Disease spread, transnational crime and other fields. Non-traditional security has the characteristics of transnationality, uncertain sources of threats, and suddenness. Therefore, compared to traditional security, non-traditional security often requires effective global governance.
In today ’s world, non-traditional security tends to have a greater impact on the world. As far as the 21st century is concerned, it is more non-traditional security that causes harm to the world. The “911 Terrorist Attack” in 2001 killed nearly 3,000 people, even exceeding the number of people killed in the Pearl Harbor incident in the United States. AIDS is a major threat to human health. Millions of people die of AIDS every year. In recent years, although the number of people dying of AIDS has fallen sharply, 770,000 people still died of AIDS globally in 2018. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed nearly 300,000 people. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China killed nearly 70,000 people and left tens of thousands missing. The outbreak of the new crown epidemic worldwide is a typical non-traditional security threat. In recent years, the outbreaks of SARS and Ebola virus have shown that global infectious diseases pose a huge threat to human society.
This new crown epidemic not only caused more deaths, but also had a greater impact on the world economy. This has forced countries around the world and the international community to re-examine this type of non-traditional security issues and give them sufficient attention. In addition to the epidemic situation of infectious diseases, threats to human beings such as ecological environment, energy, information, and natural disasters cannot be underestimated. Once these disasters break out on a global scale, if they are not adequately prepared, the harm will be great. Therefore, after the outbreak, the international community should take measures to strengthen global governance in non-traditional security areas.
3. The role of professional organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) will be strengthened
3. The role of professional organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) will be strengthened
organizations that conduct global governance, in addition to the United Nations, there are Some professional organizations. For example, there are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in finance, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in trade, and the WHO in health. These organizations play an important role in coordinating countries’ governance in the professional field. Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, WHO has played an important role in information release, introduction of prevention and control experience, and coordination of the international community in the fight against epidemics. However, WHO has not done enough in some respects. For example, WHO made a mistake in judging the global spread of the new crown epidemic. It was not until the epidemic spread globally that it was spreading on a large scale before raising the alert level and declaring it a “global pandemic.” WHO also lacks powerful actions in guiding and coordinating unified actions of the international community . This has led to the global fight against epidemic at this stage basically, each country is fighting alone, lacking coordination and unified action. WHO also lacks a strong voice on the exchange of prevention and control experience, vaccine development and subsequent prevention and control strategies. Of course, there are certain reasons for these problems. In the global health governance, sovereign states are still the main actors, WHO’s authority is not enough, and WHO’s funding and other support are also limited. The new crown epidemic also exposed the lack of some functions that the WHO should have. For example, the uniformity of the certification standards for medical supplies worldwide. The certification standards for medical materials such as masks and ventilators are not uniform in all countries. For example, there are American standards and European standards for masks. As a result, there is a phenomenon that at this stage, China has the ability to produce masks for export, but some masks cannot be exported because some standards of Chinese masks are inconsistent with those of the United States and the European Union.
Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the functions of WHO. Let WHO have the function of setting standards for medical supplies. WHO uniformly sets standards for some medical materials, and then uses them globally. These problems exist not only in WHO, but also in organizations such as WTO. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the functions of these organizations and improve their ability to coordinate and coordinate globally. In short, after the epidemic, professional global governance organizations will receive more and more attention, and their role will become stronger and stronger.
Fourth, the coordination and cooperation of global governance organizations in various fields will be strengthened
Fourth, the coordination and cooperation of global governance organizations in various fields will be strengthened
Global governance is subdivided into multiple fields, each of which has its own special Global governance organization. One problem at this stage is that each organization has separate governance, and cooperation and coordination are not strong. This has led to the fragmentation of global governance. One of the consequences is lack of ability to deal with complex events. Especially in some non-traditional security fields, because they often involve multiple fields, the governance organization of one field cannot effectively govern. For example, global health governance and global environmental governance, global trade governance and global intellectual property governance are all strongly related. Without the participation of one party, the effectiveness of governance will be greatly reduced.
The new crown epidemic situation also shows the necessity of cooperation and collaboration between WHO and WTO . For example, the global supply of medical materials involves issues such as product standards, tariffs, and logistics. These are issues within the scope of WTO governance. This requires the two organizations toAll cooperation and joint governance.
The new crown epidemic situation also shows the necessity of cooperation and collaboration between WHO and WTO . For example, the global supply of medical materials involves issues such as product standards, tariffs, and logistics. These are issues within the scope of WTO governance. This requires the two organizations toAll cooperation and joint governance.
To strengthen cooperation in various fields of global governance, in addition to cooperation between professional organizations, it is also necessary to strengthen the function of an international cooperation platform. Under the international cooperation platform, various branches of global governance cooperate with each other. These platforms include G20, APEC, BRICS countries, the “Belt and Road” and so on. What needs to be emphasized is the role of the G20. Due to its wide representativeness and high influence, the G20 is capable of coordinating organizations for global governance. The G20 Special Summit on New Coronary Pneumonia in March 2020 played a great role. The G20 brings together member states and the United Nations, World Bank, IMF, WHO, WTO, etc., and requires all organizations to cooperate and propose countermeasures to jointly respond to the new crown epidemic. Starting from this, the G20 can coordinate with various professional organizations in other areas of global governance.
Five, the relationship between major powers will lead to more uncertainty in global governance
Five, the relationship between major powers will lead to more uncertainty in global governance
It is the major powers that play a leading role in global governance. Therefore, the relationship between major powers plays an important role in global governance. Only with good cooperation between major powers can global governance proceed smoothly.
Relations between major powers include China-US, China-EU, China-Russia relations, etc. Among them, Sino-US relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world today. The new crown epidemic happened precisely under the situation of the Trump administration of the United States “U.S. priority”, frequent withdrawals, and constant trade friction between China and the United States. This makes China-US relations more complicated. The United States initially attempted to blame China on issues such as the origin of the virus and stigmatize China. This led to a deadlock in Sino-US relations. However, with the spread of the domestic epidemic in the United States and the strengthening of China’s medical supplies, the United States turned to China and hoped to import medical supplies from China. At this stage of Sino-US relations, this is an unbreakable situation. China ’s relations with the European Union and other countries also showed this situation during the epidemic. The new crown epidemic also led to significant opposition between major powers, especially between China and some Western countries, in terms of political systems and values. The measures taken by China to close the city and quarantine to control the epidemic are violations of human rights in the eyes of the United States and other Western countries. China has taken measures to quickly control the epidemic, while the United States and other Western countries are in the process of spreading the epidemic, which has triggered debates about the merits of the political system. This complex relationship between the big powers will make global governance more uncertain.
The outbreak of the new crown epidemic makes it more urgent to change global governance. Not just the epidemic. In this global connection