Anyone paying attention over the past couple of years to China’s moves on both the trade and diplomatic fronts would have seen great process in its filling the void left by the Trump administration. China’s influence abroad was greatly led by its ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure scheme intended to stretch from East Asia to Europe. China has lent billions of dollars to countries to upgrade old or to build new infrastructure, including roads, dams and railroads. This initiative recently culminated in a 25-year cooperation agreement signed by China and Iran to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance. This could deepen Beijing’s influence in the Middle East and undercut American efforts to keep Tehran isolated.
Back in January, Bloomberg News produced a synopsis about how China had won Trump’s trade war and even got Americans to foot the bill. The trade deficit with the U.S. has significantly increased and China had easily withstood Trump’s tariff salvos. In 2019, a group of 10 Southeast Asian nations replaced the U.S. as China’s second-largest trading partner. Furthermore, most U.S. manufacturers surveyed last September said they didn’t intend to move production out of China. There is no evidence that the U.S. tariffs on China benefit American workers and the tariffs have actually cost American companies and consumers in loss incomes. According to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics, the Chinese economy rose 2.3% last year. By contrast, the U.S., Canada, Japan and many nations in Europe have suffered steep falls in economic output, especially after the emergence of the pandemic.
Then there is China’s willingness to provide its COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable countries, including Brazil where hospitals have been overwhelmed by a surge of infections. CoronaVac has turned out to be the most affordable and most accessible inoculation for the more vulnerable nations. In China, Sinovac, the maker of CoronaVac, started delivery tens of millions of doses overseas, reportedly providing free samples to 53 nations and exporting it to 22 nations that positioned orders. Meanwhile, the U.S. appears to be hoarding vaccines and its forecast supply reportedly will be enough to vaccinate 650 million people — nearly twice the U.S. population.
All of the evidence indicates that China, as part of its foreign and trade policies, is attempting to extend its growing influence abroad through a number of avenues. Meanwhile, countries like the U.S. and Canada can only sit on the sidelines and watch. It is unclear whether the American or Canadian governments can do much to counteract the growth of Chinese influence in the international sphere. Indeed, it may be too late given the existing long-term economic problems in both countries.
FROLITICKS 
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