It remains to be seen just how important the issue of U.S.-China relations will be in the 2020 election, but the current Coronavirus pandemic sets Trump up to almost certainly be the beneficiary.

The European Union has found itself ill-prepared to support its member states in the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its unsuccessful course of action has cleared the way for China to establish critical diplomatic relationships there and rewrite geopolitics as we know it.

The G20 Extraordinary Summit was a wake-up call for the international community. It was clear that coordinated policies and actions against the epidemic are needed worldwide — and that especially includes the world’s two major powers.

Will China and the United States be able to jointly lead a cooperative effort to stop the global epidemic? Don’t hold your breath.

The impact of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has been severe. Just as pervasive has been the anti-Chinese rhetoric that has gradually overtaken the Trump administration’s dialogue with the American people and the resulting anti-Chinese sentiment that is putting many Asian Americans in danger.

The coronavirus has only deepened U.S.-China competition and could weaken America’s global standing if Washington continues to stubbornly adhere to “America first” and forgo its long-standing international leadership.

Long before the coronavirus outbreak, the number-crunchers were at work modeling various possibilities for shifting supply-chains. The epidemic has provided a preview of just how bad things can get.

Double trouble is headed our way if major countries fail to put aside their geopolitical squabbles and and work together, if only temporarily. The epidemic cannot be ended by one country acting on its own.

China-U.S. relations could turn for the worse when the epidemic passes. But there’s a glimmer of hope. If they take prompt action to ease the tension and cooperate in mitigating the health crisis, they can avoid what might be a devastating geopolitical conflict in the post-pandemic world.

Trump’s approach, the Great American Comeback, has seen some success domestically but has been rocky in the international scene. Given persistent and emerging global threats, America First should not necessarily mean America alone.