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By Rosalind Mathieson

(Bloomberg) —

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Never let it be said that a crisis can’t be turned into an opportunity.

Having battled the coronavirus for months – and hit the milestone of no new infections domestically – China is now offering to help others, particularly Europe, which is in the grip of a major outbreak.

China’s state media is peppered with footage of masks being delivered and of Chinese medical teams arriving. It’s an effort to move past criticism of Beijing’s early cover-ups at home, conspiracy theories on the origins of the virus and claims that Chinese travelers helped spread Covid-19.

As Alan Crawford and Peter Martin write, President Xi Jinping is calling it a kind of “Health Silk Road.” That has the added benefit of fostering a narrative at home that China has triumphed over the virus and can now help others as a responsible global power.

It’s also a counterpoint to growing tensions with America. President Donald Trump, under pressure domestically for his response to the pandemic, is needling Beijing for what he calls the “Chinese virus,” while Beijing has aired dubious claims the U.S. military may have started the outbreak in China.