The team at @SecureDemocracy took a look at 2,900 tweets from China's diplomatic and state media accounts over the past three days to get a sense of Beijing's messaging on #coronavirus. Here's what we found.
First, China is using the #coronavirus crisis to position itself as a provider of public goods (an implicit contrast to the United States) -- in other words, as the new partner of first resort for our allies in Europe.
Among the top tweets by engagement are posts from China's embassies in France, Italy, and Spain. All of them highlight assistance from China. 
Tweets from China's embassy in Turkey report on Beijing's contribution to medical treatment advances.
This is in keeping with what we've been watching for some time now: China is capitalizing on the shortcomings of our response to #coronavirus in order to:
➡️ Hold out its way of doing business as a model, and
➡️ Exacerbate fissures in the transatlantic relationship
➡️ Hold out its way of doing business as a model, and
➡️ Exacerbate fissures in the transatlantic relationship
More on that latter point, here: tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
Second, Beijing is jumping on the opportunity to paint the United States as racist and xenophobic.
In particular, state media accounts on Twitter are pushing back on the characterization of #COVID as the "China Virus" by U.S. officials. (These tweets also made the top ten.)
In particular, state media accounts on Twitter are pushing back on the characterization of #COVID as the "China Virus" by U.S. officials. (These tweets also made the top ten.)
My colleagues @tombschrader and Amber Frankland wrote a piece on the similarities between China and Russia's messaging on this front last month, before the events of the past few days: securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/chinese-and-ru…
Third, Beijing is trafficking in baseless conspiracy theories that raise doubt about the virus's origin. It's a tool we've come to expect from Russia, but not from China.
🚨 🚨 Often Beijing's conspiracy messaging about the origin of COVID overlaps with criticism of U.S. officials having dubbed it the "China Virus." 🚨 🚨
This suggests that that kind of messaging from our leaders is truly very unhelpful (as if we didn't already know that...).
This suggests that that kind of messaging from our leaders is truly very unhelpful (as if we didn't already know that...).
In short, China is seizing the moment. The messages it wants to drive home:
➡️ It's here to help America's allies in Europe when the US itself is not
➡️ The US response isn't just feckless, but xenophobic
All the while casting doubt, Russia-style, on the origins of the virus.
➡️ It's here to help America's allies in Europe when the US itself is not
➡️ The US response isn't just feckless, but xenophobic
All the while casting doubt, Russia-style, on the origins of the virus.
