China’s post-covid propaganda push
China is handing out medical kit, and making sure the cameras see it
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CHINA CALLS it the biggest emergency-aid operation that it has mounted abroad since 1949, when the Communist Party seized power. Hardly a day goes by without news of Chinese medical supplies, from masks to ventilators, reaching grateful recipients; and of Chinese medical teams flying to foreign countries to help them fight covid-19. Just a few weeks ago China was by far the biggest victim of the new coronavirus, and its government was widely chided for covering up the initial outbreak. Now China is trying to paint a new picture—of itself as a model for taming the disease, and as the world’s saviour.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline "Thanking big brother"
From the April 18th 2020 edition
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