In 2013 bird flu (H7N9) spread to humans in China.  There have been several, almost seasonal waves, since then.  Health officials have said in the past that this strain maybe the worlds biggest threat in 100 years.   This current virus out of Wuhan, China has been hastily named "2019-nCoV" and has been reported to have come out of a food market with multiple animal sources.  These Coronavirues are from a large family of viruses that are normally spread in animals.  This one has seemingly mutated and jumped the species barrier.  Now we are seeing human to human transmission, thus the accelerated spread through out China and into new countries.

The difference between now and 2013 is China has invested greatly into their "Belt and Road" or "One belt, one road" initiative.   Through China's eyes, this initiative is essentially a new alternative economic, political, and security world order with them in the middle.  Many argue China is conducting "debt-trap diplomacy" building infrastructure projects in over 60 countries to create this strategic vision.   One major issue is that Chinese firms, with a lot of Chinese nationals, are constructing many of these projects.  With Chinese workers traveling to and from China (we are in their Chinese new year remember - family reunions, celebrations and the like).  These projects through out Africa, the middle east, the far east are giving the virus new pathways to rapidly spread in undeveloped nations that have little resources to combat a Pandemic.  Coupled with carriers being contagious while not showing any symptoms for as much as 2 weeks. The next few weeks will be interesting to watch for potential 2019-nCoV spread in and around the Chinese projects.