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Huawei to ‘scale down’ supply of COVID-19 masks, after Borrell comments
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei will scale down its European mask donation programme for fear of becoming embroiled in a wider geopolitical powerplay, following comments from the EU’s Foreign Chief Josep Borrell that a ‘politics of generosity’ is being played out, as well as a ‘global battle of narratives’.
However, the company also said that it “remains open” to discussions with health authorities in Europe who are in “dire need” of additional equipment.
Over the past two weeks, Huawei has donated millions of masks to be used in the fight against the spread of the virus to several EU member states, including Italy, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Poland, Holland, and Spain.
The company is not the only Chinese firm to do so: There have also been donations from Alibaba, as well as from rival Chinese smartphone manufacturers.
The donations prompted the EU’s Borrell earlier this week to claim that there is a “global battle of narratives” at play.
Following the EU’s donation of medical equipment to China earlier in the year, “China has brought down local new infections to single figures – and it is now sending equipment and doctors to Europe,” Borrell wrote in a blog post.
“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,” he said.
Huawei pulls back donations
On Thursday, a Huawei official familiar with the matter told EURACTIV that following Borrell’s comments, the company would be putting an end to its donation programme, not wanting to become involved in a geopolitical power play between the US and China.
“This isn’t the type of narrative we want ourselves to be associated with,” the official said, adding that the original intention of Huawei was never the engage in a ‘politics of generosity’ as Borrell had suggested.
“We will be putting an end to our mask donation programme here in Europe,” the official added. “For us, this was never meant to have been a PR campaign.”
https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/no-more-coronavirus-masks-from-us-huawei-says/
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https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3076728/eu-fires-warning-shot-china-coronavirus-battle-narratives
Published: 7:00pm, 24 Mar, 2020
The European Union’s top diplomat has fired a warning shot at China’s “politics of generosity”, amid a growing sense of unease over Beijing’s targeted strategy to help certain European countries with medical supplies to fight Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
In an unusual choice of language, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on EU countries to stand ready for a “struggle for influence” in a “global battle of narratives”.
While Beijing has called its campaign to send millions of face masks to Europe – current epicentre of the pandemic – a show of solidarity and friendship, Borrell cast light on its geopolitical significance in a blog post released by EU External Action, the agency he leads.
“There is a global battle of narratives going on in which timing is a crucial factor,” he said, noting that the focus had shifted from Europe helping China to the other way round. “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 geopolitical component including a struggle for influence through spinning and the ‘politics of generosity’,” Borrell said.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wears a face mask as he heads to a meeting in Brussels on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFEThe European Union’s top diplomat has fired a warning shot at China’s “politics of generosity”, amid a growing sense of unease over Beijing’s targeted strategy to help certain European countries with medical supplies to fight Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
In an unusual choice of language, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on EU countries to stand ready for a “struggle for influence” in a “global battle of narratives”.
While Beijing has called its campaign to send millions of face masks to Europe – current epicentre of the pandemic – a show of solidarity and friendship, Borrell cast light on its geopolitical significance in a blog post released by EU External Action, the agency he leads.
China steps up support for Europeans hardest hit by Covid-1919 Mar 2020
“There is a global battle of narratives going on in which timing is a crucial factor,” he said, noting that the focus had shifted from Europe helping China to the other way round. “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 geopolitical component including a struggle for influence through spinning and the ‘politics of generosity’,” Borrell said.Coronavirus Update NewsletterGet updates direct to your inboxBy registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
“Armed with facts, we need to defend Europe against its detractors.” A third of coronavirus cases may be ‘silent carriers’, classified Chinese data suggests
Since the focus of the pandemic shifted from China to Europe, Beijing has tried to help to plug European shortages by distributing medical equipment, but Europe was left disappointed with US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a travel ban on travellers from the Schengen zone, which allows for passport-free travel across much of the continent.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3076728/eu-fires-warning-shot-china-coronavirus-battle-narratives
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The Netherlands imported masks from China but they were defective. Perhaps all 1.3 million!
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weehingthong 