2020 began with China being the focus of international scrutiny and condemnation for the pandemic. By the end of the year, it claimed to have managed well enough for its economy to grow. On its international standing, China lost a lot of ground, says Jorge Guajardo, who has served six years in Beijing as Mexico’s Ambassador. China is seen for what it is—a country that doesn’t respect truth, a country that doesn’t respect international agreements and it doesn’t have a long history of putting common good ahead of its own, Guajardo, who’s now a senior director at McLarty Associates, told StratNews Global. Chinese leaders invoke nationalism to hide lack of democracy and authoritarian rule; Xi Jinping is doing a lot of damage to China’s image in the long term, he added. In this podcast, Ambassador Guajardo also shared his views on the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s vaccine diplomacy and how the United States under Joe Biden’s presidency would deal with the Communist state. Listen in for more.

Podcast Producer : Manas R. Tarai