Multiple European nations have rejected Chinese medical supplies for being faulty or otherwise inadequate since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
that China's equipment failures are"reputationally damaging," even if many of the problematic orders have come through private companies and cannot be directly blamed on Beijing., one capable of challenging U.S.-led Western hegemony and striking out on its own unapologetically authoritarian path. Xi would have hoped that a leading global role in fighting the pandemic would bolster these aims, but defective equipment undermines this.
Small added that European officials have been somewhat shocked that China has continued aggressively ideological disinformation campaigns even in the face of the crisis."I think there was a bit of a sense that this might be suspended just to deal with the immediate issues around the crisis," he explained.
Brussels and Beijing have been negotiating a major investment treaty since 2013, one that was due to be signed off in September when Xi visited Germany for the EU Summit. Whether or not the meeting even goes ahead, the pandemic may well delay the deal.
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