The United States will provide $225 million in international aid against the coronavirus, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday morning.
China has been expanding its influence worldwide by providing aid to countries affected by the virus, including the United States’ allies in Europe.
The United States is now firing its own salvo, pledging hundreds of millions of dollars for global coronavirus relief efforts.
“Thanks to the unmatched generosity of the American people and the efforts of the American government, the United States has continued to lead the global public health and humanitarian response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Pompeo said in a statement, using an acronym for the new coronavirus disease.
“Through decades of America’s global leadership in health and humanitarian aid, we know that smart and strategic investments have proven critical to protecting the homeland.”
He stated that the money will be spent on “health, humanitarian and economic assistance,” in addition to the $274 million that has already been spent.
Pompeo’s announcement came when traditional US rivals they have used the coronavirus aid to improve their own position and mock Washington.
Last week, the Russian Air Force sent a plane loaded with life support machines and other medical products to New York , the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Aid was later revealed to have been paid by a Russian state fund under United States sanctions.
Cuba has dispatched doctors to help coronavirus relief efforts in Italy and Andorra, an expansion of Havana’s traditional soft-power strategy in the heart of Europe.
Several newly elected right-wing governments in Latin America had expelled Cuban doctors just before the pandemic began.
But the power of medical diplomacy during the pandemic has been China.
Beijing has unleashed an aid bonanza, sending protective gear and test kits to America’s allies and enemies alike. Much of it has come from Jack Ma, founder of the gigantic online retailer Alibaba.
Jack Ma has even shipped thousands of test kits and masks to the United States itself.
Many countries have accused China of shipping faulty test kits and production equipment, but the images of massive aid shipments have bolstered China’s reputation as the country fights a war of words with the United States.
US officials have accused Beijing of covering up the coronavirus, while Chinese officials have spread conspiracy theories that attribute the coronavirus to the US military.
The relative loss of prestige of the USA It has become a potential liability for President Donald Trump when the country enters an election year.
“Our government’s ability to respond effectively has been undermined by the emptying of our agencies and the scorn of science, and our ability to drive a global response is dramatically, dramatically undermined by the damage Trump has done to our credibility and our relationships around the world,” said former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, in a speech on March 12.
He promised “to build American leadership and rebuild it to bring the world together to meet the global threats we are likely to face again.”
“This is a time when the United States should show leadership,” Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) Told National Interest last month.
Pompeo, however, argued that the United States remains a world leader in public health.
“The United States is the undisputed leader in the provision of health and humanitarian aid, worldwide,” he said.
Source: Israelnoticias
