Zack, Jenn, and Alex discuss Trump’s offensive insistence on calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus” — why it’s both an attempt to deflect domestic political blame and part of a much broader geopolitical war with the Chinese government over who should be held responsible for the pandemic. They then run through the competition for global leadership between Washington and Beijing during the crisis — and explain why China, perhaps implausibly, may actually be winning.

References:

Make sure to follow Vox’s coronavirus reading guide.

Our colleague Jen Kirby wrote a great story on how Italy is dealing with the coronavirus.

Our other colleague Dylan Scott wrote on why the term we discuss is racist.

Check out Vox’s video about why diseases keep popping up in China.

Here’s the Washington Post article Zack mentioned about how “the system” isn’t working this time.

And here’s Alex’s piece on the US-China trade war that Jenn mentioned.

Hosts:
Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox
Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox
Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox
 
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