The Coronavirus Could Derail China’s Hegemonic Ambitions

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here are probably more than a few Filipinos who cannot help feeling a sense of schadenfreude over China’s coronavirus outbreak. Since the Scarborough Shoal standoff in April 2012, China has time and time again rubbed Filipinos’ faces in the dirt. First, it continues to occupy Scarborough Shoal unlawfully. Then China refused to abide by the ruling of the UN’s arbitral tribunal that flatly rejected its preposterous Nine-dash-line claim to the South China Sea. Even today, China continues to cordon-off Scarborough Shoal’s lagoon denying Filipino fishermen access to their historical fishing grounds.