The coronavirus pandemic has presented nations with not only severe social and economic challenges, but also the task of fighting an infodemic, with rumors, misinformation, and disinformation significantly hampering the public health response to the crisis. In the absence of an immediately available vaccine, countries are being forced to rely solely on measures restricting physical movement to contain the spread of the virus. Amidst the resultant chaos from fake news and mass hysteria, crisis communication and management is further being impeded by the politicization of this global health emergency. This is particularly evident in the US and China’s handling of the crisis, basically using the coronavirus as what Foreign Policy describes as “geopolitical football”.
Since informing the World Health Organization (WHO) about a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan on December 31, China has reported more than 82,000 cases of the novel coronavirus and 3,339 deaths. Labeled as the country worst hit by COVID-19 during the initial stages of the outbreak, Chinese authorities today claim to have completely contained the virus through stringent lockdowns and rapid widespread testing. However, the jury is still out on whether China’s COVID-19 recovery can be trusted. China’s reputation took a severe beating after it was revealed that local authorities suppressed information about the outbreak and even destroyed proof of the virus.
So now, China is in damage control mode as it tries to rebrand itself as the international leader in the global fight against the coronavirus, which most likely originated in its own territory. It has sent medical personnel and supplies to assist other nations affected by the crisis, and has also pledged $20 million to the WHO to strengthen public health infrastructure in poorer and vulnerable countries. Given its rigid control over critical supply chains, the country is racing to be seen as providing essential goods such as PPE and medicines when others are unable to do so. However, this assistance is contingent on reduced criticism of China’s approach to the crisis and refraining from trying to hold it accountable for its actions. When governments decided to impose travel bans on China, Chinese authorities warned of potential retaliation. In early March, a piece in Chinese state-owned Xinhua news agency argued that the world (read: the United States) should be thanking China rather than blaming it for the spread of the pandemic, because if it decided to ban the export of essential drugs, the US “would sink into the hell of a novel coronavirus epidemic”.
While Beijing engages in less-than-successful attempts to boost its reputation for global cooperation, Washington DC has focused its efforts on blaming China for diverting attention from its terrible handling of the situation on the domestic front. President Donald Trump has significantly underplayed the virus’s contagion, deadliness, and impact. These attempts may be rooted in his administration’s previous attempts to systematically dismantle key medical infrastructure. Prior to the ongoing crisis, the Trump administration proposed a 20% cut to the CDC’s emerging and zoonotic diseases program, which investigates and prevents new diseases. His administration has also overseen the downsizing of CDC’s disease prevention program and ended its support to states for coronavirus testing sites. However, Trump continues to project his failures on anyone but himself or his administration.
Unfortunately, stuck in between Beijing and Washington’s fight are international institutions that were created to address global challenges like this one. For instance, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) stands paralyzed as the United States and China remain at loggerheads over the text of a potential council resolution, where, in a strange twist of reality, the Chinese are calling for international cooperation and mutual support, while the US insists on including language that would largely blame China for unleashing the deadly virus on to the world.
The feud is also increasing pressure on the World Health Organization (WHO), which is tasked with coordinating a global response to this pandemic. Just last week, President Donald Trump threatened to pull funding from the health institution. He criticized its slow response to the crisis and accused it of being too “China-centric” despite receiving large amounts of US funding. This reasserts Trump’s belief that multilateral organizations aren’t meant to be neutral global entities; rather, they should be loyal to their biggest (financial) supporters.
For China, its clout over the WHO is crucial to help burnish President Xi Jinping’s image, who has faced widespread international criticism for mishandling the country’s response to the crisis. And the extent of Chinese influence on the organization has not gone unnoticed. On January 23, the WHO was unable to issue a timely formal declaration calling COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) because of severe pressure from China. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also came under fire for praising China’s response to the spread of COVID-19–despite growing evidence of China’s mismanagement of the outbreak–and being quick to criticize other countries for their responses. However, one of the greatest consequences of Chinese influence in the WHO is in the organization’s treatment of Taiwan.
Since 1971, China has repeatedly blocked Taiwan’s membership into the WHO, claiming that the self-governed island is a part of Chinese territory. From 2009-2016, Taiwan was allowed to participate as an observer in the World Health Assembly under the name “Chinese Taipei”. However, the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016 soured cross-strait relations, leading to China blocking Taiwan’s future participation. This exclusion has very real repercussions for Taiwan in the face of a global pandemic. The WHO is the primary source of information for nations, and without membership, Taiwan has to rely on China or friendly member states for updates related to the outbreak. Unlike members who receive immediate updates from the WHO, Taiwan faces delays in receiving important information because of having to rely on other nations or backchannels. The WHO’s recognition of Taiwan as a part of China could also lead to unnecessary economic and diplomatic consequences. Several countries have already used the WHO’s country classification as justification to restrict travel from Taiwan. While some eventually reversed their travel bans, the island nation’s continued exclusion from the WHO means that it could happen again.
The issue of Taiwan’s exclusion warrants further attention, and is especially important now, because the country is being looked at as a model for responding to the virus. Despite its proximity to the Chinese mainland, the island now has only 379 cases, a number that has remained low due to aggressive quarantine and monitoring measures. Strict screening of incoming passengers from Wuhan began on January 31, the same day it learned about the virus in the Chinese city. A few days later, however, when Taiwanese authorities tried to warn the WHO about possible transmission through human-to-human contact, their warnings were ignored, which only further delayed the WHO’s response. While this may have helped China control the narrative around its image, it happened at the expense of WHO’s credibility.
Though there have been repeated calls to fight this “global challenge” together without politicizing the issue, there seems to be little appetite among countries–particularly the US and China–to do so. The speed and reach of the novel coronavirus has highlighted the vulnerabilities of the global system. Multilateralism is coming under threat because world powers refuse to let go of their own political ambitions. The ongoing pandemic is truly exposing the extent to which international organizations depend on member states and can be manipulated according to their whims. This calls into question the independence of these organizations and their ability to make tough decisions and manage crises such as this one. Unless world powers step up and commit to collective action and global cooperation, and focus on leveraging the strengths of different actors to tackle complex challenges, growing distrust and inequality will continue to erode human security and prosperity. In the case of COVID-19, working together is the only way out.
Image Source: New Statesman
The Politicization of a Pandemic and its Effects on Global Crisis Management
Stuck in between Beijing and Washington’s fight are international institutions.
April 14, 2020
