EU accuses Russia & China of vaccine diplomacy, sowing mistrust in western COVID-19 jabs

Russian and Chinese media are systematically trying to sow mistrust regarding the efficacy of the Western COVID-19 vaccines with their latest disinformation campaigns with an aim to deepen the divide in the region, stated a European report on April 28. Prominently from December to April, the state media outlets based in Russia and China have pushed false news stories in several languages making agenda over the vaccine safety concerns while also linking the jabs with the deaths in Europe. As per the EU report, the state media also touted Russian and Chinese vaccines as superior.

As per the report, both Kremlin and Beijing have denied all disinformation allegations by the European Union which also produces regular reports and seeks to work with tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft to limit the spread of fake news. The EU study is released by the 27-nation-bloc’s disinformation unit, part of its EEAS foreign policy arm saying the so-called “vaccine diplomacy” by Russia and China follow a “zero-sum game logic.”

It said in the report, “Russia and China, in particular, continue to intensively promote their own state-produced vaccines around the world. The so-called “vaccine diplomacy” follows a zero-sum game logic and is combined with misinformation and manipulation efforts to undermine trust in Western-made vaccines, EU institutions and Western/European vaccination strategies.”

China touted its vaccines as ‘global public good’

It added, “During December 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, the Russian campaign to promote the Sputnik V vaccine has accelerated and developed into a whole-of-government approach including state authorities, state companies and state mass media in almost daily interventions. Russian officials not only promote the Sputnik V vaccine but also engage in antagonistic messaging, using disinformation to accuse the West and the EU of sabotaging the Russian vaccine.” For China, the EU said in its report, “China continues to promote its vaccines as a “global public good”, emphasising the accessibility and stable supply of Chinese vaccines and presenting them as more suitable for developing countries and also the Western Balkans.”

“Such display of success contrasts with the negative framing of the Western response to the pandemic in Chinese state-controlled channels that have relied on misleading narratives to sow doubt about the safety of Western vaccines and the origin of the virus,” it added.

Image credits: AP