The Guardian "Coronavirus diplomacy": how Russia, China and EU vie to win over Serbia

The Guardian "Coronavirus diplomacy": how Russia, China and EU vie to win over Serbia

"As pandemic spreads, rival powers deploy soft power and aid to advance its foreign policy goals", British "The Guardian" reports in an article entitled "Coronavirus diplomacy: how Russia, China and EU vie to win over Serbia".

For the EU, it’s trying to prove that talk of European values and solidarity is not just empty words. For China, it’s changing the narrative to present the country as the solution to coronavirus, not its cause. For Russia, it’s using more modest resources for maximum effect, with Russian military vehicles driving through Italy or a planeload of equipment dispatched to the US partly produced by a sanctioned company.

The Americans, focused internally under the Trump administration, have largely been absent from the coronavirus diplomacy game.

As Guardian further notices, first, the Chinese came to Belgrade, with planeloads of equipment and six medical experts to help coordinate national coronavirus policy. An emotional Serbian President kissed the Chinese flag in gratitude and criticized Europe for its lack of assistance.

Then came the Russians, who flew in less crucial but nevertheless welcome resources on military jets with much media fanfare.

Finally the Europeans came, pointing out that they had been there all along and had funded significantly more than Russia and China put together.

In Serbia, it all started on 15 March, the day president Aleksandar Vucic declared a state of emergency. It was the same day that a statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested a ban on exporting medical supplies from the EU bloc. This infuriated Vucic and led to an emotional outburst.

“European solidarity does not exist. It was a fairy tale. I have sent a special letter to the only ones who can help. That is China,” Vučić told the nation. He asked China for supplies, equipment and advice on fighting the pandemic, and soon after, a plane landed in Belgrade, Guardian reports.

One European diplomat based in Belgrade said that it was not exactly what they would want to hear from a government that claims it is doing its utmost to join the EU. However, even in Spain and Italy there has been anger at the lack of a coordinated European response to coronavirus, and for those outside the EU bloc like Serbia, the rejection was felt even more strongly.

"China was happy to step into the gap. Serbian officials say the Chinese experts, who have remained in the country, are now running the government’s coronavirus policy. Unlike most of Europe, Serbia is following the Chinese model of isolating even mild cases of coronavirus in large field hospitals, rather than trusting people to self-isolate", the Guardian concludes.

The Chinese also recommended an absolute lockdown such as the one that had been implemented in Wuhan, said one Serbian official. This was rejected on the basis that the Serbian public would not accept it, but strict curfews have been put in place, and those over 70 are confined to their homes at all times.

A promised mass-testing is not yet fully implemented, and reports say the testing procedure is chaotic. But Serbian officials are hopeful that implementing the strict Chinese measures early will mean the country avoids a large-scale epidemic as seen in western European countries.

Russia also sent aid, mainly disinfectant supplies for hospitals and apartment entrances. Back in Moscow, opposition figures claim that the Kremlin has been sending equipment abroad for propaganda purposes, while doctors at home lack basic supplies. In Serbia, the help was welcome, though there was a sense that the media announcements around the deliveries may outweigh their actual use.

Since Vucic's angry outburst, the EU has also been working hard to show the ways in which it has helped Serbia. The EU delegation in the country pointed out that more than €200m of grants and €250m of loans have been provided to help build and equip medical facilities over the past two decades. An EU-funded laboratory, initially designed to do quality control of food products, has been repurposed as a coronavirus testing lab. A further €93m of funds has been pledged by the EU over the short and medium term to fight coronavirus and its effects.