This article is written by Abdul Rehman, retired brigadier, former commander of the 88^th Infantry Brigade, Pakistan Army. At present he is a freelance writer, and the author of the Book China Chinami.

Few weeks back when news of a deadly virus emerged from Wuhan China, suddenly the fear of outbreak of a new epidemic gripped the world. Uncertainties and suspicions about origin aside, it was also an opportunity for the world to show solidarity with China being the first line of defense. Instead, China bashing started on different strands of media, people with little or no knowledge of Chinese nation and nature of threat started guessing about the causes and predicting response failures. In particular, some foreign forcesstarted questioning China’s capacity to prevent the disease from crossing borders and doubted accuracy of the scale of infection communicated to the world. Chinese on the other hand did not respond to their charade in the face of a very serious threat to humanity, kept their course and did not allow negativity to bleed nation’s determination and resolve while fighting against CORONA. However, untimely optimism of west’s own economic recovery at the cost of possible melt down of Chinese economy continued in one form or the other.

With dedication, hard work and military like approach once again Chinese surprised the world, by not only controlling the epidemic but also generously offering help to the worst hit nations. During this intense battle against a very serious challenge to the credibility of Chinese Communist Party, the only agency responsible for safeguarding national interest, leadership remained steadfast, resisted responding to allegations targeting their sincerity and kept their focus on battling the epidemic by nationwide lockdown. During this enormous challenge while managing the population, which had already dislocated for spring festival, they not only maintained their calm but also were able to mobilize the entire nation for a quarantine of the scale, the world is not familiar with yet. Finally, their strategy of boldly but calmly parrying barrage after barrage of criticism, much earlier than anticipated they are able to control the virus. WHO seeing success of their unbelievable effort was forced to praise their approach and strategy. The organization asked the world to follow their approach of focusing on the real issue of saving the world.

Under tremendous pressure, Chinese came out successful much earlier than the estimate of different health care organizations specializing in epidemics. But, ironically when the entire world was fearing spread of epidemic and Chinese were showing great resolve against herculean odds. Some foreign forces continued targeting Chinese people’s confidence in leadership, their ability to control the virus and on the charge of hiding facts from their own public and the world. However, failure to achieve their objectives during first phase of the battle against CORONA, now they have started disputing their success story by shaping environment for anti-china narratives of manipulating the world economy in the aftermath of epidemic. Through a deliberate media campaign, they are once again targeting Chinese ambitions and sparking doubts about the causes of virus by maligning them for a conspiracy of igniting the epidemic by design.

Now, once the epidemic has been successfully controlled in China by relentless efforts at all levels while it is on the rampage in the rest of the world especially in the west. Rather than learning lessons and thanking China for saving the world by quarantining millions of people for unlimited period. To divert their own public’s anger and criticism of failure, they are sparing no effort to discredit China’s success story by raising their usual concerns about human rights abuses and totalitarian approach during Chinese battle against CORONA. Their new offensive with a variety of narratives being streamed across globe, ranging from; people being meted punishments in public for even minor violations of government directives to manipulation of world economy.

During last three months, it has become evident that through relentless efforts and at a very painful economic cost, China bought enough time to the rest of the world for sorting out some mechanism against CORONA. But unfortunately blinded by their hatred or one may call fear of possibly the only surviving challenger to their supremacy, some countries are squandering that hard earned window and wasting the opportunity of taking advantage from Chinese experience. Their failure to put a defense mechanism and timely alerting the health services for saving their peoples from dreadful consequences, evident from the percentage of fatalities much higher than China tells the whole story. Time and effort wasted in unnecessary criticism and manufacturing consent at home and abroad about Chinese ill intent is costing them and the world very dear. Whereas China is now in the recovery phase and soon hoping to restart the economic activity across the country.

However, CORONA episode must jolt Chinese and they should understand that like all emerging powers in the history, as long as they are striving to make China great again, some foreign forces will not allow them a free run and will definitely disrupt their efforts. Therefore, this long drawn struggle against existing power centers merits constructing an enduring strategy. A clash for which the ruling power centers will set their own moral standards, rules of engagement and draw battle lines. Let there be no doubts that they will not hesitate to scare their own people and the world from Chinese ambitions. Abundant precedents also prove that their bitter opposition to rest all, spring from their limitless appetite for control of world resources, desire to maintain supremacy and perpetual dominance at whatever cost or consequences. Therefore, it is vital to know that battling and checkmating such opponents is not possible by nobility, instead offensive spirit on all fronts and during all the phases will have to be a part of every strategy.