Head of Research and Policy Jessica Brandt told The Hill that the battle over the coronavirus narrative amounts to an “information contest.” She explained that China is using its media to promote their country’s response to coronavirus, aid to European countries like Italy, and attack the shortcomings of the U.S. response to the viral outbreak.
“It’s fascinating to watch an information contest play out in real time. Beijing appears to be capitalizing on weaknesses in our [the U.S.] coronavirus response, using it to emphasize fissures in the transatlantic relationship and to highlight the chaotic nature of our political system,” she wrote in an email to The Hill. “Beijing is happy to lift up its way of doing business as a model of effective governance. Recent turns of events on coronavirus create a good moment for that.”