Coronavirus outbreak fans the flames of US-China decoupling debate in Washington

Any hope that the US-China phase one trade deal would salvage the superpower relationship have been scotched by the coronavirus

Epidemic set to hit US economy and has led to rising discord among Washington figures, some of whom call for decoupling between the world’s two largest economies

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The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in the Central Chinese city of Wuhan, has given rise to more debate over US-China decoupling in Washington. Illustration: Brian Wang

Published: 6:00am, 4 Mar 2020Updated: 11:36am, 5 May 2020

This is part of a four-part series looking at how the coronavirus epidemic affects China’s relationships with the rest of the world. Part one focuses on the virus’ reignition of a long-term debate over decoupling of the US and Chinese economies.

At an event in Washington on Friday, Florida senator Rick Scott used the term “Communist China” 25 times in a 10-minute speech pushing the idea that the coronavirus epidemic should be used as a wedge to prise apart the US-China relationship.

“I think there is going to be more decoupling, as we’re seeing with the coronavirus. I think people are saying to themselves, are we too dependent on a country that acts as an adversary? And I think that is going to cause some people to rethink their supply chains,” Scott told a crowd gathered at the Hudson Institute, a think tank.

“Communist China just does not want to join the community of nations, so much as it wants to rule it. The result, whether we want to admit it or not, is there is a new Cold War.”

While Scott’s has long been one of the loudest voices trying to push the Trump administration’s policies in an anti-China direction, his rhetoric is now finding more favour in an increasingly hostile environment towards China in the American capital.

The pomp of the phase one trade deal signing ceremony in mid-January only temporarily papered over the deep cracks in the superpower relationship, and various metrics now suggest that an idea previously existing on the fringes of US President Donald Trump’s administration – decoupling – enjoys growing support.

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Coronavirus outbreak fans the flames of US-China decoupling debate in Washington

Any hope that the US-China phase one trade deal would salvage the superpower relationship have been scotched by the coronavirus Epidemic set to hit US economy and has led to rising discord among Washington figures, some of whom call for decoupling between the world’s two largest economies

Any hope that the US-China phase one trade deal would salvage the superpower relationship have been scotched by the coronavirus

Epidemic set to hit US economy and has led to rising discord among Washington figures, some of whom call for decoupling between the world’s two largest economies