Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19), originating in Wuhan in China and spreading to the rest of the country and the world, is a defining moment in the current human history. By mid-July, it affected over 13 million, consummated over a half-a-million lives, disrupted the socio-economic fabric of many countries and began mutating into a 2nd or 3rd phases. China has been at the centre of this process, although now other countries have taken its place in this tragic contagious epidemic. This volume, written by China experts, is the first comprehensive, inter-disciplinary and area studies` evaluation of China`s domestic and external dimensions of handling the Covid-19.

Covid-19 in all likelihood will go down in human history as one of the most decisive events in terms of its global scale, the unprecedented fear that it generated across vast swathes of the world, the kind of economic destruction that it        inflicted across the board, barring a few sectors (such as pharmaceuticals and environment) and for the comprehensive dislocation it brough about, including in the regional and global orders. An estimated three billion people are in some form or the other of lockdown in the nooks and corners of the world so as to break the chain of contagion.

18 scholars raised at the China programme at Jawaharlal Nehru University broach the subject of domestic and external dimensions of China and Covid-19 and offer in-depth analyses of the spread of the contagion, by utilising extensively Chinese language and other sources.

The first section is focused on the Covid-19 origins and development, governance issues, economy, media coverage, armed forces responses, utilisation of hi-tech gadgets in addressing the Covid-19 and impact on the sports- all within China. The second section has its focus on the external dimension – the spread of Covid-19 to several countries with focus on Taiwan, United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, Latin America and Africa. Policy responses of these countries as well as relations with China in addressing Covid-19 are highlighted.

Issues raised include the origins of Covid-19 and the controversies thereof, how China`s leadership addressed the contagion, governance issues, impact on the economic production, role of the media, armed forces, hi-tech usage, impact on sports industry. In the external dimensions, systematic analysis of the spread of the contagion abroad, application of different models of addressing and controlling the virus and the problems thereof were made.

Given the continuing incidences of Covid-19 spread across the world, this volume is being offered for the policy makers, health professionals, non-traditional security experts, academics, media and the general reader.

Srikanth Kondapalli is Professor in Chinese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was Chairman of the Centre for East Asian Studies, SIS, JNU four times from 2008-10, 2012-14, 2016-18 and 2018-20. He is educated in Chinese studies in India and China with a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies. He learnt Chinese language at Beijing Language & Culture University and was a post-Doctoral Visiting Fellow at People`s University, Beijing from 1996-98. He was a Visiting Professor at National Chengchi University, Taipei in 2004, a Visiting Fellow at China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Beijing in May 2007, an Honorary Professor at Shandong University, Jinan in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016; at Jilin University, Changchun in 2014 and at Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming in 2016, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at People`s University since 2014 and a Fellow at Salzburg Global Seminar in 2010. He wrote two books (China`s Military: The PLA in Transition in 1999 & China`s Naval Power in 2001), two monographs, co-edited five volumes (Asian Security & China in 2004; China and its Neighbours in 2010; China`s Military and India in 2012, China and the BRICS: Setting up a Different Kitchen in 2016, and One Belt One Road- China`s Global Outreach in 2017) and a number of articles in journals and edited volumes – all on China. He received the K.Subramanyam Award in 2010 for Excellence in Research in Strategic and Security Studies. 

Shaheli Das is a Strategic Sector Cooperation Program Officer at Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi. She has worked as a researcher at premier think tanks in India such as Centre for Air Power Studies and Observer Researcher Foundation. She is also a Visiting Fellow to Fudan Development Institute in Shanghai. She has also been a recipient of the prestigious Chinese Government Scholarship 2017-18. She has presented papers at various national and international conferences. Further, she has published papers in several reputed journals and magazines such as Strategic Vision for Taiwan Security Journal, The Diplomat, Liberal Studies Journal and BRICS Post, to name  a few.