Coronavírus, guerra de informação e ofensiva chinesa

Josep Borrell, o Alto Representante da UE para os Negócios Estrangeiros, é claro (tanto quanto um diplomata o pode ser) e fez questão de o fazer saber…

Josep Borrell, o Alto Representante da UE para os Negócios Estrangeiros, é claro (tanto quanto um diplomata o pode ser) e fez questão de o fazer saber…, em várias línguas, no site oficial: Há uma guerra de informação em curso, desencadeada pela China para moldar as percepções europeias e fazê-las aceitar a “versão oficial” de Pequim como a verdade dos factos sobre a catástrofe global do vírus partido de Wuhan.

“It is sometimes said that wars are won not by tactics or even strategy, but by logistics and communications. (…) There is a global battle of narratives going on in which timing is a crucial factor. In January, the dominant framing was of this being a local crisis in Hubei province, aggravated by the cover up of crucial information by Chinese party officials. Europe was sending a lot of medical equipment to help Chinese authorities that were overwhelmed at the time. Since then, China has brought down local new infections to single figures – and it is now sending equipment and doctors to Europe, as others do as well. China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the US, it is a responsible and reliable partner. In the battle of narratives we have also seen attempts to discredit the EU as such and some instances where Europeans have been stigmatised as if all were carriers of the virus.

“The point for Europe is this: we can be sure that perceptions will change again as the outbreak and our response to it evolves. But we must be aware there is a geo-political component including a struggle for influence through spinning and the ‘politics of generosity’. Armed with facts, we need to defend Europe against its detractors.

“There is also a battle of narratives within Europe. It is vital that the EU shows it is a Union that protects and that solidarity is not an empty phrase. After the first wave in which national authorities took centre stage, now the EU is coming to the fore with joint actions on all tracks where member states have empowered it to act: with joint procurement of vital medical equipment, with a joint economic stimulus and a necessary relaxation of fiscal and state aid rules” …..

• The Coronavirus pandemic and the new world it is creating

Versão em francês:

• La pandémie de coronavirus et le nouveau monde qu’elle crée

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