A patient is tested for COVID-19 in Germany. (Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The Global Community Challenges China’s Narratives
Beyond U.S. efforts to challenge the Chinese Communist Party’s false statements about the COVID-19 outbreak, leading nations are speaking up about the damage caused by the CCP’s efforts to obscure vital information about the virus.
Last week, Hudson Institute hosted top diplomats from Israel, Germany, and Taiwan to discuss their own nations’ outbreak response and the CCP’s efforts to shift responsibility for the outbreak. See their perspectives below, and be sure to visit Hudson’s new timeline [[link removed]] chronicling the origins of the coronavirus and the CCP’s response to the crisis, which will be updated as new information emerges.
German Ambassador to the U.S. Emily Haber, in conversation [[link removed]] with Walter Russell Mead, likened China’s efforts to the “Russian playbook”:
"China portrays itself now as a rescuing actor with regard to European nations and easily forgets to what extent we've supported China in the early phases of its crisis when we provided medical gear, doctors, and sent in planes. We cannot accept, if China instrumentalizes the crisis now in order to sew divisions, in order to place false narratives, and in order to put out their divisive narratives targeting discussions we are having in our countries, actually, a strategy that reminds me very much of the Russian playbook."
At an event [[link removed]] hosted by Seth Cropsey, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu outlined his country’s swift actions to contain coronavirus and the broader threat of China’s authoritarian narrative:
"Whatever China has tried to do, Taiwan's experience shows that for free and open democracies there is a better path forward in dealing with the outbreak. The most dangerous narrative to arise out of this global pandemic seems to me are the talking points China is pushing around the world, that only authoritarian regimes have the resources and capabilities to deal with the problem. While the outbreak will subside eventually, my concern is that this narrative may persist."
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon sat down [[link removed]] with Michael Doran to discuss his nation’s quick response to the pandemic, and why the global community needs to hold China accountable:
"People today criticize China for not sharing the information on time and not allowing experts to come in. And that's what we should expect from anyone you work with, that if you had a problem, if you had a red flag, you will say, ‘Listen, I invite your experts to come and help me with that.’ They didn't do it. I don't know if they will do it in the future.
That's a thing we can demand, not only from China, but from other countries. But they are not democracies, they don't have accountability to the people, they don't have proper elections, but we can demand from them to have specific guidelines or procedures to handle future epidemics. Because otherwise it's only a matter of time until we will sit down and discuss ... I don't know what would be the name of the virus, but something else will be there."
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity
Visit Hudson's Coronavirus Timeline [[link removed]]
Hudson Highlights
In The Atlantic [[link removed]], Nadia Schadlow writes about how the coronavirus pandemic is proving the assertions made in the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy.
Walter Russell Mead writes in the Wall Street Journal [[link removed]] about the importance of holding CCP officials to account for continuing to falsify information and statistics about coronavirus in China.
Rob Spalding writes in The Hill [[link removed]] how China's despotic government exploits the U.S. visa process to spy on Americans.
In Defense News [[link removed]], Bryan Clark argues that the U.S. military should begin using unmanned technology to monitor and destroy combatant submarines.
In the Washington Examiner [[link removed]], Tim Morrison makes the case that the CCP's opacity during the COVID-19 crisis proves China will not be a responsible world power as it continues to build its nuclear arsenal.
Rebeccah Heinrichs writes in National Review [[link removed]] that the National Security Council’s pandemic response expertise was not dismantled in recent years, and examines the standard presidential practice of reorganizing the Council.
Nate Sibley argues in the Washington Examiner [[link removed]] CCP officials should face sanctions due to complicity in covering up the COVID-19 outbreak before it became a global pandemic.
In The American Interest [[link removed]], Mike Watson argues that the U.S. should head off Chinese aggression in Taiwan and the South China Sea and incorporate it in all multilateral coronavirus-fighting measures.
New Episode of The Realignment
On the latest [[link removed]] episode of The Realignment, Saagar and Marshall caught up with Hudson scholars Walter Russell Mead, Rebeccah Heinrichs, and John Walters for a discussion on the national security implications of COVID-19.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, April 16
9:00 a.m.
Video Event | A Conversation with Senator Todd Young on Securing America’s Economic and Security Future Through Technological Innovation [[link removed]]
Featuring Arthur Herman and Senator Todd Young.
Friday, April 17
9:00 a.m.
Video Event | Meeting the Challenge of the Chinese Communist Party During and After COVID-19 [[link removed]]
Featuring Eric Brown, Patrick Cronin, John Lee, and Lewis Libby.
In Case You Missed It
Watch: Michael Pillsbury discusses China's efforts to exert influence over specialized U.N. agencies to its advantage on Fox Business [[link removed]].
Listen: Rob Spalding discusses how the CCP's response to COVID-19 will impact the U.S.-China relationship on Fox News [[link removed]].
Hudson Institute
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Fourth Floor
Washington, D.C. 20004 Share [link removed] Tweet [link removed] Share [[link removed]] Forward [link removed] Preferences [link removed] | Unsubscribe [link removed]
