The last few weeks has seen the management of the narrative of the history of the COVID-19 pandemic, and of its consequences, with respect to the accountability of states, and the legitimacy of key international bodies. Much of this has been interpreted by Chinese officials as direct and indirect attacks on the integrity of the Chinese political-economic system, and as an indirect effort to thwart its international ambitions to attain a leading role in the development and management of global affairs (e.g., on the diplomatic response here, here, and here).
And, indeed, even as China has pressed forward with its official pandemic timeline, and has pressed forward with both its internal pandemic management procedures and external aid to foreigners, China has been the subject of criticism with respect to virtually all of its efforts by important foreign states and others.
[A]n EU report accuses China of spreading disinformation about the crisis. The bloc's External Action Service says Russia, and to a lesser extent China, have "targeted conspiracy narratives" in the EU and neighbouring countries. US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly attacked China for its handling of the outbreak, and the state of Missouri is suing the Chinese government, accusing it of doing little to stop the spread of the virus. (Coronavirus: China rejects call for probe into origins of disease).
And in recent weeks there had been growing pressure, rejected strenuously by Chinese officials, to constitute an autonomous inquiry body to investigate the source and handling of the pandemic (here, and here).
All of this has irritated Chinese officials, and has also appeared to make them less willing to cooperate with those advocates (China brands Trump, Pompeo and White House adviser Navarro as the 'lying trio' as it intensifies anti-US campaign due to coronavirus tensions). Much of this is motivated by suspicions of motives. Yet that is precisely what has motivated the criticisms by Western states about Chinese intentions and methods. The result has been the construction of anew form of "Iron Curtain" that increasingly splits two quite distinct world views, each increasingly suspicious of the other--and both fighting for dominance within the systems of international institutions that retain a measure of authority (and provide a means of amplifying the positions of either side within global systems of narrative or meaning making). One gets a sense of this from recent comments delivered by the US Secretary of State, M. Pompeo:
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China poses a risk to 'freedom-loving countries and democracies' with its global expansion drive in his latest blast against the Communist superpower. Pompeo said China had backed out of promises not to send warships to the South China Sea and 'diminished' the One Country, Two Systems policy in Hong Kong. He said China's actions take the dispute between the US and Beijing 'far beyond'coronavirus. Speaking to right-wing news site Breitbart, he said: 'What the Chinese Communist Party is doing, it goes so far beyond what’s happened in the time of this coronavirus. 'I think the American people, and I hope people all across the world, understand the risk to the globe—to freedom-loving countries and democracies around the world—that are presented by the actions of the Chinese Communist Party.' (Mike Pompeo warns that China is a danger to America and 'all freedom-loving countries' with global expansion drive and dispute with Beijing goes 'far beyond' coronavirus – as US joins international demands for inquiry into handling of disease)
Pandemic, then, has become critically intertwined with the core issues of the day: (1) decoupling of China and the US; (2) the European core increasingly playing a role on the sidelines (critically important to be sure, but still no longer at the center); (3) the (re)construction of post global empires built around control of vectors of global production from resource control through distribution and consumer sale; and (4) the control of the "language" (perhaps idiom might be a better term) of macro-economics--the power of currency regimes to order and discipline production (here one sees yuan internationalization, and dollar preeminence as a key to the identification and discipline of imperial control sectors).
Pandemic has created a convenient battlefield within which all of these collateral objectives can be advanced within the context of the challenges of COVID-19, responsibility of states for meeting that challenge, and the price of global aid. The World Health Organization has become an important space for conflict--directly about the pandemic, and indirectly about the shape of global governance and the hierarchies of power within that (those?) system(s). At its 73rd World Health Assembly, which commenced 18 May 2020, the WHO was faced with responding to calls for an independent inquiry. With pressure for a powerful independent body to investigate China (draft resolution here), and with Chinese rejection of any inquiry into its responsibility for and handling of the pandemic, the WHO Body was set to adopt a compromise approach that suggests the contours of the emerging tri-partite world order and its members.
Pandemic has created a convenient battlefield within which all of these collateral objectives can be advanced within the context of the challenges of COVID-19, responsibility of states for meeting that challenge, and the price of global aid. The World Health Organization has become an important space for conflict--directly about the pandemic, and indirectly about the shape of global governance and the hierarchies of power within that (those?) system(s). At its 73rd World Health Assembly, which commenced 18 May 2020, the WHO was faced with responding to calls for an independent inquiry. With pressure for a powerful independent body to investigate China (draft resolution here), and with Chinese rejection of any inquiry into its responsibility for and handling of the pandemic, the WHO Body was set to adopt a compromise approach that suggests the contours of the emerging tri-partite world order and its members.
The World Health Organization will establish an independent and impartial inquiry into the source and handling of the coronavirus outbreak, once the pandemic is brought under control, a virtual meeting of its annual governing body was set to agree on Monday. The proposed inquiry, mirroring previous WHO-led inquiries such as the one following the Ebola outbreak in west Africa, arguably stops short of the fully independent inquiry sought by Australia and the US, but represents a compromise brokered by the European Union and India. (WHO to agree deal over future coronavirus inquiry: World Health Assembly review will have scope to examine role of China)
It is in this context that Xi Jinping's speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the video conference of the 73rd World Health Assembly, 18 March 2020, is worth careful consideration. That Speech, 团结合作战胜疫情 共同构建人类卫生健康共同体 [Unity and cooperation to overcome the epidemic Work together to build a human health community] follows below in full in the original Chinese along wth a crude English translation, along with brief additional comments.
My observations (brief) about the speech:
1. Xi begins with a concise summary of the Chinese position on the pandemic built around the core Chinese foreign policy line of mutually beneficial cooperation. It is also meant to reinforce the Chinese discursive efforts to position itself as the "reasonable" power in contradistinction to the American president who remains (and quite effectively among ruling cliques globally) the intemperate leader. Here one finds the key phrases:
The virus has no borders, and the disease does not distinguish between races. In the face of the violent new pneumonia epidemic, the international community has not backed down. People of all countries bravely moved forward, watched for help, and stood in the same boat. They showed the love of the world and gathered the mighty power to fight the epidemic.
And, as has become a common discursive thread in Xi's speeches, that opening is then intimately tied to Chinese efforts, and more importantly, Chinese success. The object, of course, is to align that success with two key objectives: (1) to reinforce the validity of Chinese claims for authoritative international leadership; and (2) to align that claim to the power of its political-economic system under the leadership of the CPC.
2. The middle section that operationalizes that claim to leadership. . . . by leading. It includes a number of what are termed "suggestions" that are meant to evidence the power of the Chinese national vanguard as a vanguard suitable for global leadership.
First, do our best to prevent and control the epidemic situation. . . Second, give full play to the leadership role of WHO. . . Third, increase support for African countries. . . Fourth, strengthen global public health governance. . . Fifth, resume economic and social development. . . Sixth, strengthen international cooperation.
The six suggestions move seamlessly from the technical with its calls for transparency, information sharing and joint work ("We must adhere to the people-oriented, life-oriented, scientifically deploy medical forces"); to the utilization of international mass organizations (in this case the WHO and its leader whose ties to China has been criticized elsewhere, and "calls on the international community to increase its political support and financial input to WHO"); to the tilt toward a principal area of Chinese geo-strategic interests with respect to which recent Western efforts int he form of debt cancellations might threaten); to the reformulation of the parameters of global governance through international mass organization (the "adheres to the principle of objectivity and fairness" line); to the underlining of the Chinese foreign policy line of "all around" development targeting to economic, social and cultural issues and built into the core framework of the Belt and Road Initiative) ; and lastly to the underlining of the discursive framework for international relations ("Humanity is a community of destiny, and solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons to overcome the epidemic"). What emerges clearly is the alignment of these suggestions to both the discourse and objectives of Chinese efforts to reframe global governance away from its rights based and human dignity oriented discourse (the discourse of human rights and individual based sustainability) to a discourse of collectivity that is founded on development and collective advancement of economic, social, and cultural objectives.
3. Perhaps the most important part of the speech was the last section, one in which President XI seeks to operationalize the critically important Chinese discursive foreign policy line--"building a community of human destiny." It is here that one can see more clearly drawn a Chinese vision for a post-global international ordering. The most interesting aspect of this building of a community of human destiny is the way in which it is intimately tied to and reflects the conceptual organization of the Belt and Road Initiative. It is not clear that there is much space between BRI as concept and action, and the new international order. It focuses first on foreign aid as an element of development, which includes meeting the challenges of disease. That incorporates the pledge respecting the vaccine, Chinese aid to developing states, and the issue of African debt forgiveness (which is a tricky issue especially for China at the moment especially as China seeks to develop to its advantage the mechanisms for debt relief). Second, it frames that aid around the economic power of China itself. Here Xi proposes that China position itself as the hub of an global medical emergency production chain. The result, of course, is that all such international efforts would then be centered n and driven by the Chinese. Again, the hub and spoke model is aligned with emerging notions of empire (both Chinese and American; see CPE EmpireSeries), but here it is nicely applied (and expanded) to the challenges of pandemic.
While it is easy enough to dismiss speeches like this, that would be a mistake. As President Xi has evidenced tome and again since the start of his leadership period, the development of the CPC line, and its expression as elements of the emerging New Era theory that guides the policy development of the Chinese state apparatus, is almost invariably tied to key phrases and approaches usually developed in and through the speeches of Mr. Xi. This speech provides a case in point. Under threat to its global ambitions, Mr. Xi has here quite nicely crystallized New Era Theory respecting China's place in the world order, and the ideological framing of such engagement.
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2020-05-18 20:05:06 来源： 新华网
团结合作战胜疫情
共同构建人类卫生健康共同体
——在第73届世界卫生大会视频会议开幕式上的致辞
（2020年5月18日，北京）
中华人民共和国主席 习近平
5月18日，国家主席习近平在第73届世界卫生大会视频会议开幕式上发表题为《团结合作战胜疫情 共同构建人类卫生健康共同体》的致辞。 新华社记者 李学仁 摄
大会主席先生，
世界卫生组织总干事先生，
各位代表：
首先，我认为，在人类抗击新冠肺炎疫情的关键时刻举行这次世卫大会，具有十分重要的意义！
人类正在经历第二次世界大战结束以来最严重的全球公共卫生突发事件。新冠肺炎疫情突如其来，现在已波及210多个国家和地区，影响70多亿人口，夺走了30余万人的宝贵生命。在此，我谨向不幸罹难者表示哀悼！向他们的家属表示慰问！
人类文明史也是一部同疾病和灾难的斗争史。病毒没有国界，疫病不分种族。面对来势汹汹的新冠肺炎疫情，国际社会没有退缩，各国人民勇敢前行，守望相助、风雨同舟，展现了人间大爱，汇聚起同疫情斗争的磅礴之力。
经过艰苦卓绝努力，付出巨大代价，中国有力扭转了疫情局势，维护了人民生命安全和身体健康。中方始终本着公开、透明、负责任的态度，及时向世卫组织及相关国家通报疫情信息，第一时间发布病毒基因序列等信息，毫无保留同各方分享防控和救治经验，尽己所能为有需要的国家提供了大量支持和帮助。
主席先生！
现在，疫情还在蔓延，防控仍需努力。我愿提出以下建议。
第一，全力搞好疫情防控。这是当务之急。我们要坚持以民为本、生命至上，科学调配医疗力量和重要物资，在防护、隔离、检测、救治、追踪等重要领域采取有力举措，尽快遏制疫情在全球蔓延态势，尽力阻止疫情跨境传播。要加强信息分享，交流有益经验和做法，开展检测方法、临床救治、疫苗药物研发国际合作，并继续支持各国科学家们开展病毒源头和传播途径的全球科学研究。
第二，发挥世卫组织领导作用。在谭德塞总干事带领下，世卫组织为领导和推进国际抗疫合作作出了重大贡献，国际社会对此高度赞赏。当前，国际抗疫正处于关键阶段，支持世卫组织就是支持国际抗疫合作、支持挽救生命。中国呼吁国际社会加大对世卫组织政治支持和资金投入，调动全球资源，打赢疫情阻击战。
第三，加大对非洲国家支持。发展中国家特别是非洲国家公共卫生体系薄弱，帮助他们筑牢防线是国际抗疫斗争重中之重。我们应该向非洲国家提供更多物资、技术、人力支持。中国已向50多个非洲国家和非盟交付了大量医疗援助物资，专门派出了5个医疗专家组。在过去70年中，中国派往非洲的医疗队为两亿多人次非洲人民提供了医疗服务。目前，常驻非洲的46支中国医疗队正在投入当地的抗疫行动。
第四，加强全球公共卫生治理。人类终将战胜疫情，但重大公共卫生突发事件对人类来说不会是最后一次。要针对这次疫情暴露出来的短板和不足，完善公共卫生安全治理体系，提高突发公共卫生事件应急响应速度，建立全球和地区防疫物资储备中心。中国支持在全球疫情得到控制之后，全面评估全球应对疫情工作，总结经验，弥补不足。这项工作需要科学专业的态度，需要世卫组织主导，坚持客观公正原则。
第五，恢复经济社会发展。有条件的国家要在做好常态化疫情防控的前提下，遵照世卫组织专业建议，有序开展复工复产复学。要加强国际宏观经济政策协调，维护全球产业链供应链稳定畅通，尽力恢复世界经济。
第六，加强国际合作。人类是命运共同体，团结合作是战胜疫情最有力的武器。这是国际社会抗击艾滋病、埃博拉、禽流感、甲型H1N1流感等重大疫情取得的重要经验，是各国人民合作抗疫的人间正道。
主席先生！
中国始终秉持构建人类命运共同体理念，既对本国人民生命安全和身体健康负责，也对全球公共卫生事业尽责。为推进全球抗疫合作，我宣布：
——中国将在两年内提供20亿美元国际援助，用于支持受疫情影响的国家特别是发展中国家抗疫斗争以及经济社会恢复发展。
——中国将同联合国合作，在华设立全球人道主义应急仓库和枢纽，努力确保抗疫物资供应链，并建立运输和清关绿色通道。
——中国将建立30个中非对口医院合作机制，加快建设非洲疾控中心总部，助力非洲提升疾病防控能力。
——中国新冠疫苗研发完成并投入使用后，将作为全球公共产品，为实现疫苗在发展中国家的可及性和可担负性作出中国贡献。
——中国将同二十国集团成员一道落实“暂缓最贫困国家债务偿付倡议”，并愿同国际社会一道，加大对疫情特别重、压力特别大的国家的支持力度，帮助其克服当前困难。
我呼吁，让我们携起手来，共同佑护各国人民生命和健康，共同佑护人类共同的地球家园，共同构建人类卫生健康共同体！
谢谢大家。
【纠错】责任编辑： 尹
Xi Jinping's speech at the opening ceremony of the 73rd World Health Assembly video conference (full text)
2020-05-18 20:05:06 Source: Xinhuanet
Unity and cooperation to overcome the epidemic
Work together to build a human health community
——Speech at the opening ceremony of the video conference of the 73rd World Health Assembly
(May 18, 2020, Beijing)
President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping
(Shi Zheng) Xi Jinping Addresses the Opening Ceremony of the 73rd World Health Assembly Video Conference
On May 18th, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech entitled "Unite and cooperate to overcome the epidemic build a human health and health community" at the opening ceremony of the 73rd World Health Assembly video conference. Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xueren photo
Mr. President of the Assembly,
Mr. Director General of the World Health Organization,
Representatives:
First of all, I think that it is of great significance to hold this WHO Conference at a critical moment when humans are fighting the outbreak of new coronary pneumonia!
Mankind is experiencing the worst global public health emergency since the end of World War II. The sudden outbreak of new coronary pneumonia has now spread to more than 210 countries and regions, affecting more than 7 billion people and taking the precious lives of more than 300,000 people. Here, I would like to express my condolences to the unfortunate victims! Condolences to their families!
The history of human civilization is also a history of struggle against diseases and disasters. The virus has no borders, and the disease does not distinguish between races. In the face of the violent new pneumonia epidemic, the international community has not backed down. People of all countries bravely moved forward, watched for help, and stood in the same boat. They showed the love of the world and gathered the mighty power to fight the epidemic.
After arduous efforts and great costs, China has effectively reversed the epidemic situation and safeguarded the lives and health of the people. China always keeps an open, transparent and responsible attitude, timely informs WHO and relevant countries of the epidemic situation information, and publishes the viral gene sequence and other information as soon as possible. It has no reservations to share the prevention and control and treatment experience with all parties and do its utmost We can provide a lot of support and help to countries in need.
Mr.president!
Now, the epidemic is still spreading, and prevention and control still need to be done. I would like to make the following suggestions.
First, do our best to prevent and control the epidemic situation. This is a matter of urgency. We must adhere to the people-oriented, life-oriented, scientifically deploy medical forces and important materials, take effective measures in protection, isolation, detection, treatment, tracking and other important fields, as soon as possible to curb the spread of the epidemic in the world, and try our best to stop the spread of the epidemic across the border . It is necessary to strengthen information sharing, exchange useful experiences and practices, carry out international cooperation in detection methods, clinical treatment, and vaccine drug research and development, and continue to support scientists from various countries to carry out global scientific research on the source and spread of viruses.
Second, give full play to the leadership role of WHO. Under the leadership of Director General Tan Desai, WHO has made significant contributions to leading and advancing international anti-epidemic cooperation, which is highly appreciated by the international community. At present, international anti-epidemic disease is at a critical stage. Supporting WHO is to support international anti-epidemic cooperation and save lives. China calls on the international community to increase its political support and financial input to WHO, mobilize global resources, and win the battle against the epidemic.
Third, increase support for African countries. The public health systems of developing countries, especially African countries, are weak, and helping them build a line of defense is the top priority of the international fight against epidemics. We should provide more material, technical and human support to African countries. China has delivered a large amount of medical aid materials to more than 50 African countries and the African Union, and has specially dispatched 5 medical expert groups. Over the past 70 years, the Chinese medical team sent to Africa has provided medical services to more than 200 million people in Africa. Currently, 46 Chinese medical teams stationed in Africa are investing in local anti-epidemic operations.
Fourth, strengthen global public health governance. Humanity will eventually overcome the epidemic, but major public health emergencies will not be the last for humanity. In view of the shortcomings and deficiencies exposed by the epidemic, we must improve the public health safety governance system, increase the speed of public health emergency response, and establish global and regional epidemic prevention material reserve centers. China supports a comprehensive assessment of the global response to the epidemic after the global epidemic has been brought under control, summing up experience, and making up for deficiencies. This work requires a scientific and professional attitude, requires WHO to lead, and adheres to the principle of objectivity and fairness.
Fifth, resume economic and social development. Countries with conditions should follow the WHO ’s professional recommendations and carry out resumption of work in an orderly manner under the premise of normalized epidemic prevention and control. It is necessary to strengthen the coordination of international macroeconomic policies, maintain the stability of the global industrial chain supply chain, and try to restore the world economy.
Sixth, strengthen international cooperation. Humanity is a community of destiny, and solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons to overcome the epidemic. This is an important experience gained by the international community in combating major epidemics such as AIDS, Ebola, avian influenza, and H1N1 influenza A. It is the right way for people of all countries to cooperate in the fight against epidemics.
Mr.president!
China always upholds the concept of building a community of human destiny, not only responsible for the safety and health of its own people, but also responsible for the global public health cause. To promote global anti-epidemic cooperation, I declare:——China will provide 2 billion US dollars of international assistance in two years to support the countries affected by the epidemic, especially the developing countries in the fight against epidemic disease and the recovery of economic and social development.
——China will cooperate with the United Nations to set up a global humanitarian emergency warehouse and hub in China, strive to ensure the supply chain of anti-epidemic materials, and establish green channels for transportation and customs clearance.
——China will establish 30 Chinese-African counterpart hospital cooperation mechanisms, accelerate the construction of the headquarters of the African Center for Disease Control, and help Africa to improve its disease prevention and control capabilities.
——After the research and development of China's new crown vaccine is completed and put into use, it will be used as a global public product to make China's contribution to the availability and affordability of vaccines in developing countries.
——China will work with the members of the Group of 20 to implement the “Debt Relief Initiative for the Poorest Countries”, and is willing to work with the international community to increase support for countries with particularly severe epidemics and severe pressures to help them overcome current difficulties .
I call on us to join hands to jointly protect the lives and health of people of all countries, to protect the common earth homeland of mankind, and to jointly build a human health and health community!
thank you all.
[Error correction] Editor in charge: Yin