Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the Global Health Summit and delivers a speech via video in Beijing, capital of China, May 21, 2021. /Xinhua
Editor's note: Jonathan Arnott is a former member of the European Parliament. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Thousands of years ago, the ancient city of Rome became synonymous with civilization and technology far beyond any of its neighbors. Its empire was renowned for its culture and brutality in equal measure. The Roman Senate was the venue for some of the most famous oratory of all time, "Non nobis solum nati sumus. (Not for ourselves alone are we born.)", the words of Cicero – one of the greatest public speakers of all time – reverberating through its halls. Such words are studied even today because of the power of their impact.
Modern politics frequently demands something else: An understanding of the nature of the situation which exists at the time. "The pandemic is yet another reminder that we humanity rise and fall together with a shared future," Chinese President Xi Jinping said on May 21 via a video link to the Global Health Summit in Rome.
The speech was clear. It must surely have been designed to convey a subliminal message. At a time of international tensions, when relations between Western nations and China have become increasingly strained, the whole world must be on the same side when it comes to fighting against the current pandemic.
The speech was a deliberately straightforward reiteration of China's position on the global fight against COVID-19. It should not be politicized. It should not be stigmatized. Support for vaccination schemes for the world's poorest countries is of paramount importance. To that end, it demanded a significant ramping up of the COVAX scheme through the World Health Organization. There are two problems to be solved – vaccine production and equitable vaccine distribution.
The speech was, taken on its most basic level, intended as a global call to action. China has not felt the same effects of the virus as Europe or the United States. It has fewer cases, fewer hospitalizations and fewer deaths. China, therefore, has been in a position to be able to offer hundreds of millions of vaccine doses to poorer nations.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (2nd R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (3rd R) co-chair the Global Health Summit in Rome, Italy, on May 21, 2021. /Xinhua
The bigger stumbling block is the way in which intellectual property rights function. Protection of patents is, under normal circumstances, vital to keep the pharmaceutical industry working and to ensure that new medicines continue to be developed. However, in the wake of a global pandemic there is a greater need for such technology to be shared – and for governments, one way or another, to find a way of making it happen.
We should not, in May 2021, need to still be having this conversation. It could and should have been resolved months ago: we knew that a vaccine would eventually become available; we have been blessed to learn that a variety of vaccines are effective against the COVID-19 pandemic, but during that time insufficient attention was given to the issue of waiving intellectual property rights and ensuring that production could be ramped up.
Beyond the text of the speech, there was a political message. The words used were also a defense of China's actions – making a case, an attempt to win the argument over so-called "vaccine diplomacy." As if to underline the point, facts and figures rather than rhetoric were the order of the day. President Xi Jinping was keen to drive forward the message that China has honored the commitments which it made last year: referencing vaccines, masks, personal protective equipment, testing kits and overseas aid.
By doing so, the narrative was clear. President Xi Jinping wishes to convince the G20 that China is both needed and trustworthy in this fight. The speech itself was clearly not intended to inspire, but rather to set out a clear position and propose cooperation.
At the end, there was just a single cultural reference – a different nod to the ancient Romans, a quote by the ancient philosopher Seneca, "we are all waves of the same sea." In geopolitical terms, the world may be fragmented, with dividing lines on issue after issue, but when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic there should be only one side: humanity.
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