European Union Top Diplomat Says They Are in a “Battle of Narratives” with China Over the Coronavirus

It took the EU quite a while to figure this out, but this is why President Trump had been pushing back against Chinese disinformation and propaganda by calling it the “China Virus”:

The European Union’s top diplomat has fired a warning shot at China’s “politics of generosity,” amid a growing sense of unease over Beijing’s targeted strategy to help certain European countries with medical supplies to fight Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

In an unusual choice of language, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on EU countries to stand ready for a “struggle for influence” in a “global battle of narratives.” (………..)

But two recent developments have changed the EU’s thinking, according to a diplomatic source briefed on the matter, driving EU officials closer to the rhetoric of regarding China as a “systemic rival,” a phrase first used under von der Leyen’s predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker.

First, there is the sense that China’s leadership prefers to deal directly with European countries, rather than through the EU. Von der Leyen was the only major European leader who did not receive a phone call from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

While Xi has phoned French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spain’s King Felipe over the past week, it was left to Premier Li Keqiang to make the call to Von der Leyen.

Second, the EU was startled by the reaction of Serbia, which is on course to begin accession talks at some stage to join the EU. When the EU hastily enacted an export ban on medical equipment, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic lambasted EU solidarity as a “fantasy,” turning instead to Xi, whom he called a friend and a brother.

While the EU urgently arranged $8.1 million in aid for Belgrade, China moved swiftly to solidify ties with Serbia, with Xi calling Vucic last week to pledge medical support and heap praise on the “ironclad friendship” between the two countries.

At the same time, Chinese diplomats stepped up what critics describe as a disinformation campaign on Twitter.

The Chinese Embassy to France, for instance, posted a series of tweets claiming the US government had covered up a coronavirus outbreak last year as flu cases, deflecting claims that Covid-19 originated in China.

“Following the surprise closure last July of the largest American research center for biochemical weapons, Fort Detrick base in Maryland, a series of pneumonia or similar cases have occurred in the United States,” one of the tweets claimed.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, the other thing that hardly anyone in the international media mentions is how the Chinese government is likely not telling the truth about how many of their people have been infected and killed by the coronavirus.

They are doing this to make it look like the Chinese government’s so called “competent” handling ended the virus threat in China while making the U.S. government look incompetent. This is being done for domestic political purposes, but also international reasons to differentiate their governmental model compared to the U.S. and build their influence.

I doubt we will see much change in the international media’s coverage of China because they incredibly hate President Trump more than Chinese President Xi.