As Argentina was trying to introduce emergency measures to insulate its ailing economy from COVID-19 last month, the Chinese ambassador paid a visit to the home of Argentine President Alberto Fernandez to discuss an offer.
At the meeting in the wealthy Olivos suburb of Buenos Aires, Chinese Ambassador to Argentina Zou Xiaoli (鄒肖力) laid out how the Asian giant was ready to help Argentina face the pandemic: donating masks, gloves, thermometers and protective suits.
The donations, welcomed by Fernandez’s government, show how China is leveraging its production of medical equipment and expertise in halting the coronavirus as a soft power tool in regions like South America, where it is jostling for influence against the US.
Illustration: Mountain People
From Argentina to Mexico, Brazil to Peru, Latin American nations have accepted offers of support from China as the number of cases across the region has climbed, amid growing fears about the preparedness of their healthcare systems.
There have been more than 787,000 confirmed cases worldwide of the virus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19, and more than 37,000 deaths.
Although South America has so far not been hit as hard as other parts of the world, experts fear that might change as winter arrives in the southern hemisphere.
“Some countries in the region have reached out to China asking for help,” a Chinese official in Buenos Aires, who asked not to be named, told reporters. “We will share with them our experience in combating COVID-19 and offer sanitary materials within our capacity.”
As trade tensions between Washington and Beijing have simmered in the past few years, the administration of US President Donald Trump has warned Latin American nations that they should be wary of becoming too economically reliant on China — to little avail.
In Argentina, the region’s third-largest economy, China has made steady inroads, from solar power investments to the construction of a new space monitoring station.
It has supplied more than US$17 billion of financing since 2007, Inter-American Dialogue data show. China has also become the top consumer of Argentine soybeans and beef.
As the virus spread in China, Argentina’s new left-leaning president Fernandez — who took office in December last year — exchanged correspondence with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
In letters seen by Reuters, Fernandez in February offered solidarity with China as the virus raged from the outbreak center of Wuhan.
Last month, Xi replied that the situation in China was improving and he called for a deepening of ties between the two nations.
Days later, the Chinese embassy announced its donations, posting pictures on Twitter of large trucks carrying a mobile hospital that was set up within a military base near the Argentine capital.
“China will continue to help in all possible channels. Long live friendship!” the embassy said on Twitter.
The help came at a difficult time for Argentina, which is grappling with a severe economic crisis and renegotiating US$110 billion in foreign debt with creditors, including the IMF.
“This is part of the link we have with China, which is a solid relationship of mutual respect and ties that go beyond strong trade,” an Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman told reporters when asked about the donations.
China’s aid to Latin America reflects a broader global trend, as Beijing looks to steer the narrative away from it being the country where the coronavirus started and was initially downplayed.
Instead, China wants to be seen as spearheading the global fight against the pandemic, experts have said.
Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Luo Zhaohui (羅照輝) said at a news conference in Beijing on March 19 that the country would “ride out the storm with people from other countries, strengthen cooperation and strive to win the last victory in the fight against the virus.”
While Trump has been criticized by opponents for branding the pandemic “the Chinese virus,” China has won praise among Latin American governments that have accepted its help.
The Chinese government said it has supplied test kits, protective suits and other forms of medical aid to more than 80 countries and international organizations.
“It’s remarkable and a credit, in a way, to China’s own commanding control of information that it’s been able to re-envision itself as a leader in the fight against coronavirus globally,” said Margaret Myers, director of the China and Latin American program at the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue.
Myers said the recent restart of Chinese industry, as cases have subsided, has enabled the country to be a provider of key products as the rest of the world’s production slows.
“This will create opportunities for China in the coming years,” she said.
The US, meanwhile, is struggling with its own battle to contain the virus, with the WHO warning on Tuesday last week that the country could become a new epicenter of the crisis.
Before the epidemic hit hardest, Washington in February pledged US$100 million toward international efforts in combating COVID-19, including for developing nations.
In Latin America, China’s hands-on approach has been well received.
Chile, which has among the highest numbers of coronavirus cases in the region, has sought advice from Chinese health officials to guide its response and is sending an air force plane to China to pick up donated supplies, including tests and respiratory equipment, the Chilean minister of health said.
In Mexico, officials have said they are awaiting 300 ventilators from China, crucial yet scarce equipment in treating patients, while in Panama, health officials heralded a video conference with Chinese experts to work on strategy, something China has done with more than 100 countries.
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that China would send protective gear for health professionals and coronavirus test kits. The country has also opened talks with China over possible financial support.
“Thank you China for cooperation and solidarity with Ecuador!” the country’s Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner wrote on Twitter, itemizing help from China that he said included 40,000 surgical masks, infrared thermometers and protective suits.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has moved quickly to heal a diplomatic rift with China, and Chinese officials have said that Beijing would assist with medical supplies and technical assistance.
Chinese firms including Alibaba, Huawei, COFCO, China Communications Construction and the Bank of China have pledged donations around the region.
In Argentina, Washington is keen to show that it also wants to help.
“We plan this week to make funds available to Argentine authorities to combat coronavirus,” an official at the US embassy in Buenos Aires told reporters, adding that the country was “looking at the possibility of additional donations.”
Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Aislinn Laing, Dave Sherwood, Luc Cohen, Jake Spring, Eli Moreno and Diego Ore Oviedo
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