During the COVID-19 outbreak, China strengthened its ties with the Gulf by propagating stories about its own superiority.
China has voiced narratives of its own supremacy to places like the Gulf, using the COVID-19 outbreak as an opportunity to reposition itself as a “great” and “responsible” state on the international stage. In this interview, Julia Gurol-Haller discusses how the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Iran have reacted to China’s narratives, with important ramifications for Sino-US rivalry and Gulf regional autonomy. She bases this on her article published in International Affairs. This demonstrates how narratives and language support the authority of the author.
How have ties between China and the Gulf been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Over the past ten years, China-Gulf countries bilateral connections have been more significant, especially since 2013 when the Belt and Road Initiative was launched. The Gulf’s advantageous location and close proximity to the Red Sea make it an essential component in China’s westward expansion and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Transregional connections were initially mostly business alliances since the Gulf monarchies provide China’s rising need for gas and oil. For Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar to export these items, China is one of the most significant markets. The Sino-Gulf relationship has evolved throughout time to include policy areas like security and cultural linkages in addition to economic ties. Although these procedures were in place before to the COVID-19 epidemic, they were strengthened in light of Chinese efforts to increase their soft power, leverage, and influence in the Gulf region.
China used the window of opportunity presented by COVID-19 to reposition itself internationally. China attempted to present its image as a “global savior” and a responsible and big power through initiatives including mask diplomacy, vaccine diplomacy, and the deliberate spread of narratives. This public diplomacy campaign’s primary target audiences included Iran and the Gulf monarchies. Thus, the COVID-19 outbreak has acted as a catalyst for the strengthening of China-Gulf relations.
What are narratives precisely, and why are they significant in the context of China’s COVID-19 pandemic diplomacy with the Gulf states?
China has been involved in what I refer to as a “narrative power-play” through diplomatic pronouncements, news sources, and social media. We must comprehend the significance of narratives in politics in order to comprehend what that is.
As “storytellers-in-chief,” authoritarian dictators mold reality to suit their agenda.
Political actors craft narratives with the intention of swaying a particular target audience. Narratives are an effective tool used by political actors in authoritarian settings to compel listeners to follow their lead and manipulate people’s emotions through the deliberate projection of particular pictures. In the end, this forges connections through attraction or persuasion that strengthen the players’ authority and validate their validity. Thus, authoritarian leaders perform the role of “storytellers-in-chief” in the narrative power-play, influencing reality to suit their purposes.
What kind of stories about the COVID-19 pandemic have China spread throughout the Gulf region?
China spread two sets of narratives to the Gulf: narratives of a new global order and narratives of supremacy. China propagates tales of systemic supremacy, highlighting the general effectiveness of its political systems. The Chinese governmental system, for example, is portrayed as being extremely centralized and efficient. It can “rapidly adjust” to changing circumstances and has a high “state capacity” for mobilization.
In general, these stories present China as a dependable, compassionate, and responsible global force that supports other nations.
The concrete achievements of the Chinese Communist Party or China overall, such as its performance in the economy, governance, public goods provision, or pandemic response, are referred to in narratives of performative superiority. The highly professionalized medical field, the inventive scientific field, and the “amazing logistical efficacy” are all highlighted in the performance accounts.
Normative superiority narratives are frequently influenced by nationalist ideas, such as the restoration of China’s legitimate place in the world and animosity toward Western imperial powers, who are portrayed as having caused enormous suffering to China during the “century of humiliation.” In general, these stories present China as a dependable, compassionate, and responsible global force that supports other nations. That concept of China’s normative superiority also included the entire mask diplomacy idea.
China has used these stories to create the notion of a new global order in which it is thought that China will have a much larger role. The narratives about the world order are closely associated with stories about the collapse of the Western system and demonstrate the blending of self-glorification and othering practices that are also evident in Chinese official media narratives in other contexts, such as diplomatic standoffs with the US.
What can we learn about China’s perception of the global order from these narratives?
The stories China told the Gulf area demonstrate how, in Chinese political thinking, the global order is dynamic and undergoing significant power shifts. This suggests a window of opportunity for China to establish itself as a great power with responsibility and advance from the periphery to the forefront of international politics.
The stories China told the Gulf area demonstrate how, in Chinese political thinking, the global order is dynamic and undergoing significant power shifts.
China’s foreign policy has been slowly following this pattern for a while now. China is clearly becoming much more than just an economic powerhouse and is embracing a more aggressive foreign policy, as evidenced by the recent brokering of the Iran-Saudi reconciliation accord and the establishment of the Chinese Global Security Initiative. Xi Jinping stated that China is prepared to “safeguard the world order backed by international law” at one point during his most recent state visit to Moscow. These instances provide valuable insight into the position China holds in the world.
In what ways have the Gulf nations reacted to China’s discourses of power during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all adopted the story of China’s outstanding performance during the world crisis. Although they addressed different issues and to varying degrees, that was a cohesive approach. The Emirati media is where Chinese narratives are most faithfully replicated. They accept the narrative that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing a change in the balance of power in the world, with China rising in tandem with the US losing its hegemony. Some Emirati media channels have copied word for word the explicit language of Chinese narratives, such as “community of shared future of humankind.”
Chinese storylines have also been replicated in Iranian newspapers. The distinction is that, in contrast to the West’s apparent individualism, they also commend China for its unwavering unity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which is regarded as better and more “responsible.” This provides valuable insights about Iran’s ties to the West and the perception of China as a stabilizing force.
The most important concerns appear to be whether a multipolar system will exist in the post-COVID world and what Saudi Arabia’s potential role may be in it.
Saudi Arabia has reproduced the Chinese storylines with greater prudence. Saudi Arabia, although acknowledging China’s contribution to the COVID-19 pandemic containment efforts, has taken a more introspective stance, emphasizing its own role as a responsible regional player throughout the pandemic. This could be explained by the kingdom’s own assertions of regional leadership and its efforts to fortify this position in the wake of the crisis. The most important concerns appear to be whether a multipolar system will exist in the post-COVID world and what Saudi Arabia’s potential role may be in it.
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