Former Pentagon advisor Jason Israel warns countries will try and improve their international position during the COVID-19 pandemic – and China is “definitely” trying to make gains. “China is definitely doing it, the increase, the number of military exercises that they’ve had over the past week,” he told Sky News. Mr Israel said a Chinese vessel had a collision with a Vietnamese fishing boat near a disputed island chain in the South China Sea and currently holds the upper hand against the US in the region due to its proximity. “They only have to go out for 10 days or two weeks at a time and then can come back in, and if anyone has coronavirus they can take them off the ship,” he said. “When the US comes to that region, they’re coming for months at a time and they rely on pulling into foreign ports. “We’re going to see a lot of messaging about how great China is at continuing operations while the US isn’t able to during the coronavirus.”