Replication Data for: Undermining US reputation: Chinese vaccines and aid and the alternative provision of public goods during COVID-19

Global health emergencies present opportunities for countries to enhance their soft power by demonstrating generosity and technological capabilities. Although China’s initial association with the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak had a detrimental impact on its international reputation, the country endeavored to rebuild it by visibly distributing vaccines and medical supplies. By countering U.S. vaccine nationalism, China positioned itself as an alternative provider of public goods in the Global South. The COVID-19 crisis provides a unique opportunity to examine how aid translates into reputation, particularly when donors are facing reputational damage. This article assesses the impact of alternative goods provision on China’s reputation using original individual-level panel data collected from six Latin American countries between 2020 and 2021, employing a difference-in-differences research design. By positing the existence of absolute and relative reputational effects, we observe that Chinese vaccines improve public opinion of China and elevate its reputation in comparison to the United States. These findings are substantiated through a survey experiment, which demonstrates that when individuals receive information about China’s provision of medical supplies, it enhances China’s reputation relative to the United States.

全球卫生紧急事件为各国通过展现慷慨与技术实力，提升自身软实力提供了契机。尽管中国最初与新冠疫情暴发的关联曾对其国际声誉造成负面影响，但该国仍竭力通过公开捐赠疫苗与医疗物资的方式重塑自身声誉。通过抗衡美国的疫苗民族主义，中国在全球南方地区确立了公共产品替代性供给者的身份。新冠疫情危机为探究对外援助如何转化为国家声誉提供了独特契机，尤其适用于捐赠者自身正面临声誉受损的场景。本文采用双重差分法（Difference-in-Differences）的研究设计，利用2020至2021年间从六个拉美国家收集的原创个体层面面板数据，评估替代性公共产品供给对中国国家声誉的影响。通过构建绝对声誉效应与相对声誉效应的分析框架，本文研究发现：中国疫苗不仅改善了国际社会对中国的整体舆论评价，同时相较于美国，提升了中国的国际声誉。上述研究结论通过一项调查实验得到进一步验证：当受访者获取到中国提供医疗物资的相关信息后，相较于美国，中国的国家声誉会得到显著提升。