Coronavirus: China wants to lead the fight against Covid-19, but can it overcome the mistrust?
- Beijing has sent medical teams and millions of dollars worth of supplies to help countries tackle the health crisis, but is it just trying to make amends for initially covering it up?
- ‘They’re trying to make the world forget the big mistake,’ French academic says
Over the past two months, Beijing has sent medical teams to 16 countries, to share their knowledge and expertise with officials and health workers on treating and containing the deadly coronavirus. In most cases, the visits have been in tandem with large shipments of vital supplies, such as test kits and personal protective equipment.
According to its foreign ministry, China has provided medical supplies to more than 125 countries and four international organisations, as well as holding 70 videoconferences with experts from more than 150 countries.
“China is eager to show that they can play a leading role, or a role that the United States seems unwilling to take on at the moment,” said Ilaria Carrozza, project coordinator at the Peace Research Institute Oslo in the Norwegian capital.
“The message from Beijing could be that China has always been there and will always be there to support countries in need,” she said.
