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First masks, now vaccines: China constantly pursues “Crown Diplomacy”. The government has already promised several countries preferential access to Chinese funds.
A few weeks ago, on October 1, the People’s Republic celebrated its first national holiday since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. The holiday was followed by what is called the “golden week” in China: a week’s vacation. You have to imagine this festival as a migration of peoples. Last year, more than 540 million Chinese made domestic trips in the first four days of the “golden week” alone. This year, under the auspices of the pandemic, the travel behavior was an indication of how safe the Chinese are currently under their government’s measures.
The answer is: you feel safe.
The number of travelers decreased somewhat compared to the previous year. But another number makes it clear that the public in China is no longer afraid of the virus. Canadian cinema operator IMAX announced on October 4 that ticket sales in China during the first weekend of “golden week” had risen 25 percent compared to the previous year, although they had been offered 25 percent. 100 fewer seats due to the pandemic.
Evidence and propaganda
But even beyond these numbers, China is currently exuding confidence that Corona is over. Life has normalized, the big cities on the east coast are shaking with activity again.
It is true that there are occasional local outbreaks. But in the meantime, the authorities have installed a gigantic test apparatus. Then it is announced that several million inhabitants will be evaluated within a few days. Such announcements should not be taken at face value; they are part of the propaganda of the Chinese crisis management. China has officially reported around 90,000 infections. But this number should also be treated with caution. Beijing, for example, does not count asymptomatic cases.
Residents are waiting for a massive corona test in eastern China’s metropolis of Qingdao: Ten million people are said to have been tested in a few days. (Source: Li Ziheng / Xinhua / dpa)
The Chinese government has long focused on another issue: a vaccine. Donald Trump announced in September that the United States could approve a vaccine in October, ahead of the November 3 US presidential election. The United States is the greatest geopolitical rival of the People’s Republic. If Beijing were to overtake Washington in the great race for a vaccine, it would be a geopolitical explosion, comparable to the “Sputnik crash,” the surprise in the Western world after the Soviet launch of the first artificial satellite in the 1950s. In fact, the The “New Yorker” recently reported, citing Chinese sources, that Beijing would approve a vaccine in October.
Vaccination is already taking place in China
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently more than 170 companies working on a vaccine. Of those going through the crucial phase three of the clinical trials, four are from China. If you include the German company Biontech, there are even five. The Mainz-based company has partnered with the Chinese company Fosun to develop a vaccine.
Corona Exhibition in Wuhan: In the city where the corona pandemic began, the People’s Party is organizing the fight against the virus as a national triumph. (Source: Xiao Yijiu / Xinhua / imago images)
But although none of the Chinese companies have completed clinical trials yet, vaccination is already underway in China. The National Health Commission announced in September. He justified his decision with the WHO emergency rules.
How many Chinese have already been vaccinated, the commission left open. But experts estimate several hundred thousand vaccines, if not more than a million. For example, the Sinopharm company said it had administered its unapproved vaccine to 350,000 people. Sinovac, another company, announced that it had vaccinated about 90 percent of its employees, including their families. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army, the country’s army, is also vaccinating its soldiers with a CanSino vaccine that has not yet been approved.
Who can get vaccinated and who can’t?
In addition, companies such as Huawei and the Phoenix TV television network have announced that they will vaccinate their employees. Experts consider emergency use risky not only from a health point of view. It also raises ethical questions. Because according to media reports, there is some vaccination pressure on Chinese state enterprises. Therefore, one cannot lead to professional disadvantages.
Experts suspect that the People’s Republic wants to use this practice to test not only its vaccines, but also the preparation for vaccination of its population. Russia, for example, introduced the Covid “Sputnik V” vaccine to the world in August with much fanfare. The vaccine had been approved although it had not yet passed all the clinical tests. A propaganda movement, it was the judgment of experts. But the move appears to backfire. Because, according to polls, more than 70 percent of Russians reject a Covid vaccine.
The fact that the risk of contagion in China is currently practically zero is good for the population. But it’s bad for vaccine development. In this way it is not possible to know if a vaccine really protects against infection. Therefore, Chinese vaccine developers are testing their vaccines in more than a dozen other countries, including Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Bahrain, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
New promises, new alliances
In return, Beijing promises these countries preferential access to a vaccine. Experts have come up with the name “crown diplomacy” for this behavior, based on the “mask diplomacy” with which China presented itself in spring as a savior in need by exporting masks and hospital personnel around the world. In fact, China’s “crown diplomacy” leads to new alliances. The United Arab Emirates, a longstanding partner of the United States, recently became the first country after the People’s Republic to introduce a Chinese vaccine for emergency use. Beijing has also promised preferential access to a vaccine to several countries in Africa and Asia.
On the one hand, this “crown diplomacy” undermines a promise made by China. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at a WHO meeting in May that his country would make a vaccine available to the world as a “global public good.” Preferred access to “Crown diplomacy” cannot be reconciled with this promise.
On the other hand, China is getting involved on the global stage. A few days ago, the country joined the Covax initiative. Under the leadership of WHO, this aims to promote the development and dissemination of affordable vaccines. China’s commitment stands in stark contrast to the isolationism of the United States. Washington is not participating in the initiative. In July, the United States even left the WHO.
If China becomes the first country to produce an effective vaccine on a large scale, that will carry symbolic weight, says Jacob Mardell. The expert is doing research at the Merics Institute in Berlin, China. “However, it is not without risks for Beijing to present itself as a global savior in a post-crown world,” he adds.
Not only could there be quality problems with the vaccine, as with the masks in China’s “mask diplomacy”. Beijing also runs the risk of overpromising from megalomania. And last but not least, the country is not doing well economically after the pandemic. “Due to domestic political constraints,” says Mardell, “China can no longer act as an economic savior as it did after the 2008 financial crisis.”
