A woman wearing a face mask looks at a globe in a park in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 8. China’s pandemic diplomacy should now focus on humanitarian efforts, rather than a clumsy, self-righteous global political campaign. Photo: AFP A woman wearing a face mask looks at a globe in a park in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 8. China’s pandemic diplomacy should now focus on humanitarian efforts, rather than a clumsy, self-righteous global political campaign. Photo: AFP
A woman wearing a face mask looks at a globe in a park in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 8. China’s pandemic diplomacy should now focus on humanitarian efforts, rather than a clumsy, self-righteous global political campaign. Photo: AFP
Yu Jie
Opinion

Opinion

Yu Jie

For China’s coronavirus diplomacy to succeed, Beijing must dial up generosity and downplay ideology

  • While the pandemic has presented China with an opportunity to fill the leadership void left by the US, it has to contend with scepticism from liberal democracies
  • The Chinese government must let medical experts take centre stage and resist the urge to push a narrative which extols the virtues of the individual leader and praises draconian measures

Yu Jie
Yu Jie

Updated: 12:34pm, 16 Apr, 2020

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A woman wearing a face mask looks at a globe in a park in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 8. China’s pandemic diplomacy should now focus on humanitarian efforts, rather than a clumsy, self-righteous global political campaign. Photo: AFP A woman wearing a face mask looks at a globe in a park in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 8. China’s pandemic diplomacy should now focus on humanitarian efforts, rather than a clumsy, self-righteous global political campaign. Photo: AFP
A woman wearing a face mask looks at a globe in a park in Wuhan, Hubei province, on April 8. China’s pandemic diplomacy should now focus on humanitarian efforts, rather than a clumsy, self-righteous global political campaign. Photo: AFP
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Yu Jie

Yu Jie

Dr Yu Jie is Senior Research Fellow on China in the Asia-Pacific Programme, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House and associate fellow at LSE IDEAS.