RESIGNIFICACIÓN E INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN DE LA MEDICINA TRADICIONAL CHINA: LA COMUNICACIÓN ESTRATÉGICA DE SU USO CONTRA EL SARS Y EL COVID-19.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is a world power that has repositioned itself in the international system and in this process has sought to re-signify and internationalize its ancient culture. The objective of this article is to understand the process of resignificance and internationalization of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a central element of its culture, through the analysis of the strategic communication used by the Asian giant to show its use in the fight against the SARS epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese journalistic sources such as Xinhua, People's Daily and China Hoy are used, contrasted with other international agencies, as well as official sources like the White Paper on TCM and the document "Guidelines for using acupuncture and moxibustion to treat COVID-19" analyzed with a qualitative approach. It is proposed, at a hypothetical level, that Covid-19 pandemic has given new impetus to China's efforts to internationalize its traditional medicine, which it had already tried with the SARS epidemic in the Hu Jintao government. Through strategic communication, which emphasizes the positive effects of its use, it seeks to make it clear that, as stated by President Xi Jinping, TCM is a treasure of Chinese scientific heritage and therefore a sample of legacy of the Chinese civilization to the development of humankind in the "new era". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]