Medical diplomacy or public health diplomacy is a form of

diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

. It is the provision of medical assistance, including

vaccines A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity The adaptive immune system, also known as the acquired immune system, is a subsystem of the immune system that is composed of specialized, systemic cells and pro ...

, or aid for the purpose of furthering national goals. It is often considered to be a form of

soft power In politics (and particularly in international politics), soft power is the ability to co-opt rather than coerce (contrast hard power). In other words, soft power involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. A defin ...

but it has various harder aspects.

History

Medical diplomacy related to the COVID-19 pandemic was often termed “mask diplomacy” due to

surgical mask A surgical mask, also known by other names such as a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment used by healthcare professionals that serves as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of re ...

s being the primary good transferred. It has spurred new global players to enter this space, such as

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

which sent medical personnel to Italy at the onset of the current crisis in a mission called “From Russia with Love”.

By country

Cuba

Medical diplomacy is a cornerstone of Cuban foreign policy.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

has engaged in medical diplomacy since the 1960s.

China

China's early success in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated its "mask diplomacy." Chinese ownership of much of the global medical supply chain enhanced its ability to send doctors and medical equipment to suffering countries. China soon followed its "mask diplomacy" with "

vaccine diplomacy Vaccine diplomacy, a form of medical diplomacy, is the use of vaccines to improve a country's diplomatic relationship and influence of other countries. Meanwhile, vaccine diplomacy also "means a set of diplomatic measures taken to ensure acces ...

." China's infection rates were sufficiently low that it could send vaccines abroad without domestic objections. As academic

Suisheng Zhao Suisheng Zhao (Chinese: 赵穗生; born September 17, 1954) is a professor of Chinese politics and foreign policy at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He serves as director of the school's Center for China ...

writes, "Just by showing up and helping plug the colossal gaps in the global supply, China gained ground." The

Chinese hospital ship Daishan Dao ''Daishan Dao'' is a Type 920 hospital ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy of the People's Republic of China. ''Daishan Dao'' is also known as ''Peace Ark'' during peacetime, and has received NATO reporting name Anwei class (meaning comfo ...

has engaged in a number of medical diplomacy missions. China's support of the

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

has also been categorized as medical diplomacy.

Taiwan

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

has engaged in medical diplomacy since 1961. Under the

New Southbound Policy The New Southbound Policy () is an initiative of the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under President Tsai Ing-wen that aims to enhance cooperation and exchange between Taiwan and 18 countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Austra ...

, Taiwan is focused on providing high-level professional skill transfers instead of direct medical care or basic public health programs. During the current

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Taiwan has ramped up its efforts and donated millions of masks to its diplomatic allies as well as to close friends across the world. It also launched a hospital ship through the Pacific, providing ventilators and masks to countries like

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...

that were unable to obtain medical help from other sources.

United States

In the United States, medical diplomacy is handled both by the State Department section for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs as well as the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Global Affairs. The United States also practices medical diplomacy as part of

defense diplomacy In international politics, defence diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources and capabilities. Origin of concept Defence diplomacy as an organizing concept for defence-relate ...

References

{{Diplomacy Medical diplomacy