30 September 2020, NIICE Commentary 6079
Priyanjali Esther Simon
The COVID-19 pandemic has set in motion, China’s increasing engagement in the area of global health. Beijing has been resilient on rehabilitating its image globally. The current diplomatic manoeuvres undertaken by China can be viewed as an instrument to further its economic goals. At a time when numerous countries are in dire straits due to the pandemic, that have plagued both lives as well as the economy; China has used this as an opportunity to turn tables in its favour. From being the source of the virus to the solution, the country has implemented soft power tools such as “mask diplomacy” to project itself as a key contributor in the global health spectrum. Relations between the EU countries and the US have been fragile especially since June 2020, where the US was considering levying 3.1 billion dollars in tariffs on goods from the UK, Germany, France and Spain. The US has renounced from its traditional role as a solution provider and a crisis manager to EU countries in the course of the pandemic, especially with regard to supplying medical equipment or giving economic aid in the public health realm. This vacuum has been filled in well by China, as exemplified by batches of Chinese medical equipment arriving in countries such as Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Serbia and Czechia. Among Western European nations, Italy has been on the forefront of an increasing Chinese soft power push in the EU. Earlier this year in March, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission had thanked China’s Premier, Li Keqiang for providing 2 million medical masks and 50,000 Coronavirus testing kits.
While there have been EU countries that have been recipients of Chinese medical aid, there are also a considerable amount of countries that have been left feeling disgruntled by China’s medical aid as there were issues pertaining to the quality of the masks as well as a staggering number of kits which were unable to determine if the patient had the virus. These entities have led to a trust deficit between European companies and Chinese medical suppliers, which may affect the nature of the EU-China relationship. This is exemplified by European Union members pushing policies to reduce their dependency on China and keep a tab on Chinese investments in the EU. European scholars argue that China’s Health Silk Road Diplomacy is a Trojan Horse and is an opportunity for China to revive economically Eastern Europe, have seen growing Chinese footprint; however, there are other countries such as UK, France and Germany which have been wary of Chinese diplomatic inroads in Europe. Much is yet to be determined on whether there will be a unified consensus on approaching Chinese influence in the EU as well as the dynamics between key players in the European Union such as Germany, France, UK and Italy and their relations with China during the crisis, vis-à-vis the strength of transatlantic ties amidst the pandemic.
The pandemic has undoubtedly created a distressing year for Chinese soft power ambitions. With the outbreak originating from Wuhan, China has been facing an uphill battle with rehabilitating its global image. Reeling from its image problem, China decided to extend medical aid and assistance to countries that were affected by COVID-19. China’s story of containing the outbreak successfully, has definitely been a unique selling position for its healthcare diplomacy in various parts of the world. The European Union, owing to its porous borders, have led to some of these countries being affected to a great extent. This was a two-pronged opportunity for China to weigh in at a crucial time. Injecting itself in the region to fill in supply shortfalls in Europe, and win over European hearts and minds in the process. China’s manoeuvres were essentially centred around four approaches; highlighting solidarity and aid, calling for international unity, promoting China’s fight against COVID-19 as a success story and countering narratives critical of China.
There were numerous countries that welcomed Chinese medical equipment and aid with open arms. Italy and a few CEE states (Central and Eastern Europe) have been on the receiving end of voluminous medical supply. Countries like Czechia, although hesitant at first, eventually received Chinese medical aid. This was due to pro-active pro-China lobbies managing these arrangements. Czechia’s insufficient resources, paved way for pro-China lobbies to work out a deal that would fill in the vacuum of supply shortfalls. CEE states like Bulgaria and Austria have also received monetary donations and masks. Interestingly, the Austrian Economy Minister abstained from singling out China, when asked about the quality of masks. A binding factor of successful Chinese diplomatic outreach in the two countries can be linked to tech giants such as Huawei donating approximately 150,000 masks in addition to monetary aid in these states. What has contributed to Chinese health diplomacy making inroads in Europe has been the involvement of Chinese owned healthcare insurance companies and medical suppliers teaming up with European businesses, which have ironed out differences within political circles regarding demand of Chinese medical equipment and supplies. Additionally, Chinese Embassies in European states have played a crucial role in winning European hearts and minds. Through social media platforms, Chinese diplomats have not shied away from showing solidarity with the European public. These are indicators revealing Beijing’s aims to surpass adverse reactions while expanding soft power in the form of humanitarian aid. While it has proved to be conducive in some states, Chinese soft power in the EU has also unmasked some challenges.
EU countries like France were left feeling disgruntled when Chinese Embassy websites claimed French healthcare workers abandoned their jobs and left residents to die. Wolf Warrior diplomacy has also been instrumental in the emerging fault lines between some EU countries and Beijing. In May, 27 EU ambassadors wrote an opinion piece on EU-China ties in the backdrop of the pandemic. However, the China Daily carried a version omitting a reference to the virus originating in Wuhan. Representatives of EU member states were alarmed at what the newspaper carried. French diplomat David Chapuis stated that the omission was “regrettable”. Wolf Warrior diplomacy has been a rude awakening for some European nations, which has not only left fissures in EU-China ties, but also revealed cracks within the EU’s edifice. Moreover, there have been complaints from EU countries about the quality of masks as well as faulty medical supplies have sparked incredulity among European countries such as Spain, Netherlands and even Czech Republic.
Elements such as disinformation, wolf warrior diplomacy and the quality of medical supplies during this global crisis, may not change the nature of EU-China ties radically. Nevertheless, Chinese soft power push in the region has revealed the volume of dependency on China, as well the dearth of EU solidarity. With CEE states claiming that the EU lacked coordination in containing the virus, countries like Germany and France are gradually making efforts for more robust European efforts. As Beijing’s soft power ambitions in the EU continue, much is yet to be unmasked on how EU solidarity will be tested, and shape up amidst this global crisis.
