The "Health Silk Road" Initiative: planning China's Influence in Global Health Governance

Subject Areas :

mohsen keshvarian azad ¹ (Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of International Relations, Kharazmi University)
mohammad Jolani ² (Department of International Relations؛ Faculty of Humanities؛Tarbiat Modares University؛Tehran، Iran)

Received: 2023-01-07 Accepted : 2023-09-10 Published : 2023-08-23

Keywords: China, Influence, Governance, health silk road, global health,

Abstract :

Beijing has created mechanisms in the economic, commercial, financial and monetary, technological and cyber spheres to increase its position in global governance. Following China's initiatives and plans to influence global governance, the health sector has become one of the axes of China's foreign policy. The purpose of this article is to explain the "Health Silk Road" and plans of China's influence in global health governance and And it answered the question that how China's "Health Silk Road" initiative has become the planning for this country's influence in global health governance? In response, it is assumed that China's "Health Silk Road" as an emerging diplomatic initiative through the development of South-South cooperation, establishment of institutional mechanisms, bilateral and multilateral strategic partnership, and connecting the health sector with the economic sector, technology and the "One Belt and One Road " initiative, has led to the promotion of the health cooperation network in the world and has provided the grounds for Beijing's influence in global health governance. The research method is analytical-explanatory. The findings show that China has established effective governance mechanisms to promote joint management and cooperative efforts in global health.

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9

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Zoubir, Y. H, & Emilie, T. (2022). China’s health silk road in the Middle East and North Africa amidst COVID-19 and a Contested World Order, Journal of Contemporary China, 31(135), 335-350.

Adams, V., Thomas E. N.y, & Leslie, H. (2008). Global health diplomacy, Medical anthropology, 27(4), 315-323.

Alcorn, T. (2015). New orientation for China's health assistance to Africa, The Lancet, 386(10011) .

Calabrese, J. (2022). China’s Health Silk Road and the BRI Agenda in the Middle East, The Middle East Institute, Available at: https://www.mei.edu/publications/chinas-health-silk-road-and-bri-agenda-middle-east#_ftn6,2022/01/11.

Cao, J. (2020). Toward a Health Silk Road: China’s Proposal for Global Health Cooperation, China Quarterly of International Strategic Studies, 6(01), 19-35.

China and ASEAN (2019). China and ASEAN: Together for Vision 2030,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Available at: https://www.Fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_ eng/wjb_663304/zwjg_665342/zwbd_665378/t1641437.shtml, 2019/02/27.

Chow-Bing, N. (2020). COVID-19, Belt and Road Initiative and the Health Silk Road:Implications for Southeast Asia, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Available at: https://asia.fes.de/news/health-silk-road-pub, 2020/10/01.

Gauttam, P., Bawa, S., & Jaspal, K. (2020). COVID-19 and Chinese global health diplomacy: Geopolitical opportunity for China’s hegemony?, Millennial Asia, 11(3), 318-340.

Guoxiu, W. (2018). Building the Silk Road with Health, CGTN, Available at: https://news.cgtn.com/news/7a556a4d35457a6333566d54/index.html, 2018/06/26.

Huang, Y. (2022). The health silk road: How China adapts the belt and road initiative to the covid-19 pandemic.

American Journal of Public Health, 112(4), 567-569.‏ Jing, X., Peilong, L., & Guo, Y. (2011). Health Diplomacy in China. Global health governance, Global Health Governance, 4(2).

Kickbusch, I., & Austin, L. (2022). Global health diplomacy—reconstructing power and governance, The Lancet, 2156-2166. Leqesne, C., & Wang, E. (2020). Covid-19: Lessons from China’s public diplomacy in the EU, The Conversation, Available at: https://theconversation.com/covid-19-lessons-from-chinas-public-diplomacy-in-the-eu-140890, 2020/06/24.

Li, A. (2011). Chinese medical cooperation in Africa: with special emphasis on the medical teams and anti-malaria campaign, Nordiska Afrikainstitutet; Peking University, School of International Studies.

Liang Fook, L. (2020). The Fight Against COVID-19: China’s Shifting Narrative and Southeast Asia, Yusof ishak institute, Available at: https:// www. iseas. edu. sg/ wpcontent /uploads/ 2020/02/ISEAS_Perspective_2020_26.pdf, 2020/04/07

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Muratbekova, A. (2020). China’s post-pandemic Digital Silk Road, Eurasian research institute, Available at: https://www.eurasian-research.org/publication/chinas-post-pandemic-digital-silk-road, 2020/10/01. National Health Commission )2017). Beijing Communiqué of The Belt and Road Health Cooperation & Health Silk Road, Available at: http://en.nhc.gov.cn/2017-08/18/c_72257.htm, 2017/08/18.

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Pandit, P. (2020). COVID-19 and Global Health Diplomacy: A Strategic Opportunity for China?«, Indian Council of World Affairs, Available at: https://www.icwa.In/showcontent.Php? lang=1&level=3&ls_id=4737&lid=3547, 2020/04/24.

Peilong, L., Yan, G., Qian, X., Tang, SH., Zhihui, L., & Lincoln, C. (2014). China's distinctive engagement in global health, The Lancet, 384(9945), 793-804.

Ranaraja, Y., & Majueran, M. (2020). Is the 'Health Silk Road' a 'debt-trap' of China's BRI for Sri Lanka?, CGTN, Available at: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-25/Is-the-Health-Silk-Road-a-debt-trap-of-China-s-BRI-for-Sri-Lanka--PXqPCPd7Ta/index.html, 2020/04/25.

Rudolf, M. (2021). China’s Health Diplomacy during Covid-19:The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Action, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (German Institute for International and Security Affairs), Available at: https://www.swp-berlin.org/10.18449/2021C09/, 2021/01/26.

Scaria, S. (2021). Where MENA businesses are planning to invest in China's Belt and Road projects«, Zawya, Available at: https://www.zawya.com/en/wealth/where-mena-businesses-are-planning-to-invest-in-chinas-belt-and-road-projects-ik0qe4g6, 2021/02/11.

State Council (2020). Fighting COVID-19: China in Action, The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, Available at: english.scio.gov.cn/whitepapers/2020-06/07/content_76135269.htm, 2020/06/07.

Stephen, T., Curtis, L., Fitt, J., & Goldberg, C. (2021). Positive Visions,Powerful Partnerships: The Keys to Competing with China in a Post-Pandemic Indo-Pacific, Center for a New American Security, Available at: https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/positive-visions-powerful-partnerships,2021/03/31.

Xinhua (2020). Joint China-Argentina Energy Project Boosts Health Silk Road«, Xinhua News, Available at: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/21/c139074643.htm, 2020/05/21.

Xinhua (2020). Speech by President Xi Jinping at opening of 73rd World Health Assembly, http://www.xinhuanet.com, Available at:http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/18/c_ 139067018.htm, 2020/05/18.

Yixiang, X. (2020). Reviving China’s Health Silk Road Initiative? Battle of Narratives and Challenges for Transatlantic Leadershi«, American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS), Available at: https://www.aicgs.org/2020/03/reviving-chinas-health-silk-road-initiative-battle-of-narratives-and-challenges-for-transatlantic-leadership/, 2020/03/30.

Yuan, S. (2023). The Health Silk Road: A Double-Edged Sword? Assessing the Implications of China's Health Diplomac

y under Covid-19.‏ Zeng, W., Mengli, D., & Hongsong, L. (2023). China’s health silk road construction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Global Public Health, 18(1), 2185799.‏ Zoubir, Y. H. (2020). China’s ‘Health Silk Road’ Diplomacy in the MENA, Regional Programme Political Dialogue and regional Integration in the Southern Mediterranea«, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Available at: https://www.kas.de/en/web/poldimed/single-title/-/content/china-s-health-silk-road-diplomacy-in-the-mena, 2020/07/22.

Zoubir, Y. H, & Emilie, T. (2022). China’s health silk road in the Middle East and North Africa amidst COVID-19 and a Contested World Order, Journal of Contemporary China, 31(135), 335-350.