HARD CHOICES - Why Canada needs a cohesive, consistent strategy towards

Beset by military, economic, and political fallouts stemming from misadventures in the Middle East and the 2008-2009 global fi- nancial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic is only the latest if not the most severe event in the last 20 years to illustrate the relative decline of the US. [...] Bush set the tone by cozying up to Beijing, initially to deepen the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s and 1970s, and later to bring the PRC into the US-led international order. [...] The more significant aspect of PRC global engagement and grand strategy is reflected in its ambitious plan to create a new global power structure by 2049, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the victory of the CCP on the mainland in the Chinese civil war. [...] The mounting controver- sy over Chinese influence in the WHO during the pandemic has illustrat- ed the degree to which the leadership of the CCP has co-opted some of these institutions. [...] • Re-evaluate the “One China Policy” so that the diplomatic stance devel- oped in response to Cold War priorities be reconsidered in light of the respective actions of the PRC and Republic of China (Taiwan) in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.