By Chris White, MSc International Conflict and Cooperation
Long before COVID-19 emerged, the West has been battling the symptoms of an epidemic in public mistrust. COVID-19 highlighted how repeated violations of the voter’s trust by ‘establishment’ politicians have ensured any distrust in domestic institutions has permeated into the international system. As part of my own Masters research I have closely followed China’s attempts to manage this narrative. The damaged democracies in the West have been the perfect incubators for rival ideologies like populism and isolationism to seize elections undoing decades of globalisation. Internationally, states like Russia and China, that openly oppose the US-led liberal order, have sought to exploit this disarray through testing Western resolve as “Moscow and Beijing agree that Western liberalism and freedom undermine authoritarian rule…”. China has been cashing in on its soft power capital to emerge stronger post-COVID-19.
China’s COVID-19 propaganda
Firstly, Beijing’s domestic authority favours its political stability – or wei wen – over the individual liberty of Chinese citizens. Built upon an elaborate propaganda machine that synchronises media and security platforms to ensure ‘forced compliance’ by the state. Beijing’s failure to contain the COVID-19 outbreak to Wuhan; allowed rumours, false information, and fear to spread in a society already experiencing an information vacuum. In reality, this ideology pursued a “conceal as [much] as possible and keep it at the local level”, including the incarceration of vital doctors accused of “spreading rumours”, as they publicised China’s inaction.
By March, COVID-19’s epicentre shifted from Hubei to Europe. With it Chinese-traced disinformation and propaganda emerged depicting China as saviour rather than as the enabler of COVID-19’s spread into Europe. While COVID-19 killed thousands in Italy, Chinese newspapers broadcasted unsupported claims that COVID-19 spread from Italy’s Lombardy region to Wuhan in late 2019. While this was likely directed towards Chinese readers than Italians, it still angered Rome. Another claim by Chinese epidemiologist Nanshan suggested COVID-19 was imported to China. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman fuelled this by claiming the US military manufactured COVID-19 and brought it into Wuhan through a US athlete. This second claim is reportedly Beijing attempting to distract Western audiences away from accusations of initial missteps by China in containing COVID-19. In response, US President Trump refers to the pandemic as the “Chinese Virus”, accusing China for creating the pandemic.
Natasha Kassam, a former Australian diplomat believes Chinese propaganda is reshaping public narrative surrounding China’s actions in Wuhan and “bought the world time to prepare for this pandemic…”. China did give Europe the luxury of foresight to prepare for the epidemic’s arrival, in the form of weeks following the chaos COVID-19 caused in Wuhan. However, these vital weeks passed without proper planning, all made possible through “collective complacency [and] dangerous overconfidence” and evidenced through the poor preparation of many European healthcare services to adequately increase hospital capacity and stockpile PPE. Europe’s failures came at a time when China was once again able to help.
China deployed its medics to Italy and France to support the struggling healthcare workforces, while also undertaking a major effort distributing medical supplies across Europe. When Italian Foreign Minister Di Maio uploaded footage on social media of the first plane arriving with supplies – it was a public diplomacy triumph for Beijing. Italy’s battle was symbolic of the first wave, and when the European governments looked to Italy for answers, they saw China being touted as Rome’s saviour.
Reshaping China’s reputation: Supplies, supplies, supplies, but at what cost?
Research shows that a key tenet in China’s plan to reshape its global reputation is through donating and selling supplies. China supplied medical PPE, including masks, ventilators, testing kits and gloves to restock the depleted European stockpiles. China’s lockdown had stifled economic growth, so it used this opportunity to flex its manufacturing muscle, and China’s cheaper cost base to secure contracts, forcing governments to fight over the earliest deliveries. As factories reopened, both the Beijing Government and Chinese entrepreneurs alike donated supplies to Iran, Europe, Africa, and even the US. Not only does this support the Chinese economy in securing a much-needed boost after lengthy disruptions, but it crucially made Western countries anchored to China for vital medical supplies.
Serbian President Mr Vucic pleaded with China saying “I am asking that you send us anything you can [… we need …] literally everything, and most of all we need your knowledge and people”. Meanwhile, the Irish Government ordered flag-carrier airline Aer Lingus to redirect its entire long haul fleet to fly and maintain a 5x daily airlink to China in the short term to keep the Irish Health Service and military stocked with PPE. These measures signalled to Beijing that the image transformation from a country that (arguably) “accelerated the virus’s spread through cover-ups, to … [a] global power offering leadership at a time of panic and peril” was working. Meanwhile, the Americans were criticised for a poor domestic response, ensuring China’s “pandemic diplomacy” won headlines around the world for the positive support it is doing in fighting COVID-19 globally.
However, Turkey, an early recipient of Chinese stock, voiced concern regarding the quality of the COVID-19 testing kits, with 80% reportedly faulty and, of those functioning, their accuracy was barely 30%. Ankara went further by advising Spain that Madrid was making a mistake by accepting the same Chinese testing kits. Despite this, 89 countries received Chinese assistance.
Economic Realignment to boost China’s Soft Power appeal
There is little disagreement that the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic will have global ramifications, economically. Though, China is using this to facilitate economic realignment from the US toward China. Louis Kuijs of the Asia Economics at Oxford Economics, expects China’s economy to bounce 8% in the second quarter. This lone comeback, Kuijs argues, will boost both its soft power appeal while giving room to support countries needing assistance, like Serbia. Kurlantzick believes China is seeking to capitalise on its soft power potential, for example in Estonia where Tallinn now hopes to “strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China to fight against Covid-19” after receiving Chinese assistance.
This process of winning over European governments required initial costs for China but solidifies long-term economic connections. Geopolitically, China’s agenda to rebrand itself as “Europe’s saviour” is central in Beijing’s quest against the US hegemony, with an economic advantage through the Belt and Road Initiative or, as Chinese President Xi calls the “Health Silk Road”. Regardless, China’s rise proves the EU/US no longer have sole economic superiority.
Rewriting history – saviour or saving face?
“China is rewriting history” is the phrase many journalists, politicians and Chinese political experts are using to describe Beijing’s aggressive PR campaign as it works to disassociate itself from the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. That rewriting process includes not only the public diplomacy campaign of donating supplies and support but spreading conspiracy theories to try and reframe the global narrative around China being ‘victorious’ over COVID-19. The next significant step in this process is to be the first supplier of a safe COVID-19 vaccine.
While the West is consumed in domestic emergencies, lockdowns and economic fallout, China’s leaders are working to avoid being held responsible for the world’s fatalities, disruption, and inevitable economic downturn. With that initiative of influencing the future narrative of the pandemic through sharing of critical data regarding the virus, its health effects and financing future research and into producing a vaccine, China may yet succeed in rewriting the history of 2020.
Chris White is a Masters student at the University of Stirling, and has recently submitted his ICC dissertation exploring the role that church networks can have in influencing the peacebuilding activities in selected examples in Africa. Prior to his MSc Chris was a BA International Politics student at Stirling. In 2018, he was a joint-awardee of the Williamson Travel Scholarship. The award enabled him to travel to France and Italy to help research and compare refugee integration issues.