Former German Vice Chancellor Fischer wrote: China won 2020

On December 9, the website of Spain's Newspaper El País published an article titled "China Wins 2020" by former German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. The full text is excerpted below:

In future history books, it is reasonable that 2020 will be called the "year of the new crown pneumonia epidemic". 2020 is also the year of the end of US President Donald Trump's "hateful term". The two events are closely related and will have far-reaching implications, in part because they occurred during the transition from the U.S.-led 20th century to the China-led 21st century.

Against this backdrop, 2020 is a successful year for China. In any case, China's image will improve significantly by the end of this year. China quickly contained the epidemic and resumed economic operations, allowing life to return to almost complete normal.

In November, China signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a new agreement that puts China at the center of the world's largest free trade area. RCEP connects the huge Chinese market with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations , including countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam — and also includes U.S. allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The only excluded regional role is the United States.

The construction of a new economic bloc centered on China highlights the difference between reality and "reality TV". One of Trump's official steps since he entered the White House in January 2017 was to get the United States to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The agreement, negotiated by former U.S. President Barack Obama, has had an RCEP-like effect, except that it is U.S.-centric and excludes China. You can imagine how happy China should have been to witness this "self-harming act" for this opportunity that fate has given it. Since then, the Chinese government has worked tirelessly to make good use of this generous gift from Trump.

The Chinese government's efforts are paying off. New free trade zones have spawned new geopolitical realities. China's periphery is weaving a web of dependencies that will cement China's position in the region.

Source: Informational messages