The coronavirus cold war

The world’s two largest economies should be working together to combat the most serious global pandemic for a century. Instead, the coronavirus has become a new tool in the Cold War between China and the United States.

Last Thursday and Friday, Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, tweeted that members of the US military might have brought the virus to China during their participation at the International Military World games in Wuhan last October.

The US government was so angry that it summoned Ambassador Cui Tiankai to the State Department in Washington to protest in the strongest terms. “China is seeking to deflect criticism for its role in starting a global pandemic and not telling the world,” a department spokesman said.

The pandemic began in Wuhan, in central China, late last year. The evidence points to its originating from a live meat market in the city, where animals on sale had been infected by bats. Beijing’s position is that the origin has still not been established scientifically and may not be in China.

Zhao’s comment received a mixed response from Chinese people on social media. “We have received too much defamation and rumours,” said one person, who supported the comments. “The US delegation, with more than 500 people, stayed in a hotel near the Hua Nan fresh food market in Wuhan. The US owes us an explanation,” said another.

China’s State Council chose last Friday — just as the virus is spreading in the US — to issue a damning report on the deterioration of human rights in the US. “A person is killed with a gun every 15 minutes in the US. In 2019, 39,052 people died there from gun-related violence.”

“The US is one of the few developed countries that do not have universal health insurance. Last year 65 million adults chose not to seek treatment for a medical issue because of the cost. At the end of 2018, 13.7 per cent of US adults were uninsured, up from 10.9 per cent two years earlier,” it said.

In an editorial last weekend, China Daily said that the country’s handling of the virus was an example for the world. “It has blazed an effective path to control the epidemic, which constitutes the main content of the WHO’s advised measures.”

With no reference to the cover-up that has led to the illness spreading worldwide, it continued: “Accurate testing is the single most effective method to counter the disease’s spread. The US has so far tested fewer than 6,000 people. The Republic of Korea is testing 10,000 a day. That US politicians feel no qualms about putting their political schemes above global public health has served to expose how deeply they have fallen into the abyss of inhumanity.”

It praised the government for sending medical teams and supplies to Italy, Iran and Iraq. China has also provided masks and protective gowns to South Korea and sent test kits to Japan, Pakistan and Africa.

The US has a narrative that is directly opposed to this. It blames China for the global pandemic. First, the government did not supervise and control the Wuhan market where the outbreak began. Second, it concealed news of the disease from the Chinese public and the outside world for many weeks, during which millions of people left Wuhan, taking the disease all over China and around the world. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo speaks of the “Wuhan virus,” to the anger of Beijing and the World Health Organisation.

The US narrative received new support last week with Chinese government data showing that the first person thought to have died of the virus was a 55-year-old man from Hubei province on November 17. From that date onwards, one to five new cases were reported every day. By December 20, the total number of confirmed cases reached 60. On December 27, a doctor at a Hubei hospital told the health authorities that the disease was caused by a new coronavirus. But Wuhan was placed under lockdown only on January 23.

The Sino-US dispute has become even more loaded because President Xi Jinping declared himself personal leader of the fight against the disease. Initially, he appointed Premier Li Keqiang as head of a “leading group” in charge of the effort. Li visited doctors, nurses and patients in Wuhan on January 27.

Since then, however, Li has disappeared from view and Xi is in command. On March 10, Xi made his first visit to Wuhan since the start of the outbreak. Premier Li was nowhere to be seen. This means that Xi’s personal prestige now depends on the success of the fight and the global acceptance of the Chinese narrative.