Global coronavirus ‘aid’ a China public relations ploy

China is seizing on the coronavirus pandemic that started there to try to enhance its international image, pledging aid to more than 20 countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits a hospital in Wuhan earlier this month. Picture: AFP

China is seizing on the coronavirus pandemic that started there to try to enhance its international image, pledging donations of masks and medical equipment to more than 20 countries.

The SupChina newsletter has compiled a list of Chinese “mask diplomacy” efforts, including a promise to provide 10,000 ventilators, two million masks and 20,000 protective suits to Italy, where the COVID-19 death toll has roared past China’s. It has pledged 500,000 surgical masks to Spain, with the fourth-highest number of cases worldwide, and 700,000 to The Netherlands.

According to media reports compiled by SupChina, Beijing is sending 1.1 million respirator masks to the Czech Republic, 10 million test kits to Ukraine, 550,000 masks to Greece and 300,000 masks to Pakistan.

China’s Xinhua news service reported that 1.1 million masks and 10,000 protective suits had been “donated” to South Korea, while China Daily said 800,000 test kits were supplied to Indonesia. Other recipients of “aid” include Austria, Serbia, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Japan, The Philippines, Cambodia, Malay­sia, Sri Lanka and Peru.

Lowy Institute China expert Richard McGregor said if the PR campaign worked, it would be “the fastest turnaround in global histor­y from pariah to hero”.

He said China’s support should be welcomed, but was not solely motivated by the needs of recipients.

“China is trying to lift it's image in light of all the allegations of how they were late, and covered up the initial stages of the coronavirus," Mr McGregor said.
“And there's also a big message internally. It wants the world to acknowledge its role in doing all this so they can go back to their own people and say ‘look we've been through tough times, it was difficult, but we did the right thing and the rest of the world is now acknowledging that it is following what we did’.”

China's efforts propaganda efforts were particularly focused on comparing the country's response to that of the world's largest democracy, the United States.

"As ever, Donald Trump is giving them a free and open run," Mr McGregor said.

Despite concerted efforts to cover-up the COVID-19 outbreak in its early stages, allowing it to spread internationally, the independent China Media Project has highlighted an increase in commentary within the country suggesting the world owed China a debt of gratitude.

“Right now we should firmly say that America owes China an apology, and the world owes China thanks,” Xinhua reported on March 4.

“China has made massive sacrifices in fighting the coronavirus epidemic, and paid an immense economic cost to cut off the path of transmission of the coronavirus.

“No other country has made such huge sacrifices and put in so much effort in the midst of this epidemic.”