By Manish Tiwari / Editor-in-Chief, Daily World. At a time when the US, Japan and several European nations have been devastated by the Novel Coronavirus pandemic and feel having been betrayed by China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bid to effectively impose lockdown in the largest democracy, has sent a clear message to the world that India can govern itself in difficult times. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and heads of several States have also praised Modi for his efforts even as a survey by pollster Morning Consult has ranked him top amongst the world leaders in the fight against the virus. The COVID-19 is a common enemy spelling havoc across the world without differentiating the boundaries. In a situation like this, there are only two countries '“ India and China with a large population base -- where the number of deaths is still very low as compared to the European countries and the US. The West, that banked upon China for over three decades and helped it become the largest manufacturing hub, feels ditched and has started re-visiting its policy towards China. Post Coronavirus, the world will have to decide who's most trustworthy to deal with -- Xi Jinping or Modi. Like China, India too has vast skill set and capacity to do quality work. And after the effective implementation of the lockdown and the PM's ability to carry along almost all the States in the country's fight against COVID-19 (we'll talk about West Bengal some other day), India, despite being a volatile democracy, has shown the will and grit to rise to the occasion when the stakes are high. There is also a growing realisation that if the industries from the Western world offer employment opportunities by setting shop in India, Modi would be in a position to deliver. His pro-activeness in reaching out to the industries across the world also demonstrates that he is willing to do business. Needless to say, the world is already wary of inferior quality of Chinese products and in the recent past, several countries have been up in arms over the poor quality supplies from China. After the deaths and economic devastation in much of the Europe and the US, the relations of many of these countries with China are no longer the same as before. The fact that countries have been calling Coronavirus as 'œChinese virus' shows the amount of distrust that has spread across the world. So, for many nations there can no longer be business as usual with China. On the contrary, the world leaders would like to find in China a 'œconvenient scapegoat' and heap all blame on it for all the ills plaguing their countries. It is another matter though that some of these leaders have already failed their nations on many fronts even before the spread of Coronavirus. Since the situation is grim, the political class would now like to externalise the threat and build pressure on China as time ticks by. In the changed scenario, India can emerge as a natural choice for the overseas industries and a favoured foreign investment destination with Modi at the helm. Modi, a leader who has risen from the ground, knows full well that there cannot be a perfect decision and that no decision in a democratic set up can be completely 'œconsensual'. Given Modi's decision-making qualities, one can say that he likes to factor in every point and take a clear decision which he backs up without bothering much for the consequences. By doing so, in many situations, he's been able to save the country from greater harm. Another factor that must be weighing on the minds of the western leaders is that Modi who is leading an open democracy decisively has been consistent on his anti-corruption agenda. While Opposition parties like to call him 'œanti-minority', for many, he's 'œanti-appeasement'. From the days of Gujarat where he was the Chief Minister for several years and now the Prime Minister of India, Modi has been consistent and led by example. What's more in favour of India? The country that had earlier been a colony of the Western world is now playing a major role in taking care of the frontier of their economy. Its historical commercial ties with the West, socio-economic transaction for over 200-300 years and English being the link language make India a natural choice for foreign investment. On the other hand, China is still using predatory tactics in all its dealings with the world. The recent Huawei face-off between North America and China is prelude to the increasingly decreasing trust deficit. Post Coronavirus, however, the growing anti-China sentiments should not lead to the Third World War or a global economic showdown. On the contrary, it should lead to relocation of industries from China to India and other nations, and thereby result in an economic readjustment in this part of the world, though China would be dead set against this. Time seems to be favouring India and Modi holds the hope. It would now all depend on how our foreign policy plays out and turns this opportunity into a reality.