“Chinese leaders saw the 2008 financial crash as a historic shift in the global order, a telltale sign of decline in American power and influence. Now they see the U.S. response to the coronavirus in a similar light, and they have ramped up their propaganda in an attempt to seize the initiative, Ely Ratner of the Center for a New American Security think tank, said.
“‘Beijing is going for the knockout punch. There’s no hiding what they’re doing here,’ said Ratner, who served as the deputy national security adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden.
“‘The Trump administration’s incompetence at home and its lack of leadership abroad is creating a completely open field for them to run down,’ he said…”