Dr. Bilal Zubair is the author of the book titled “Chinese Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in the United States. ”The book is intended for policy and diplomacy students and those studying international politics and relations. It covers an important matter in the present, allowing readers to learn a lot from its scientific approach.
The book consists of seven chapters with a main focus on China’s efforts in the paradigm of soft power and public diplomacy in the United States. It aims to change perceptions and the already existing discourse about China, its people, its culture, and its function in the international arena. The book is a masterpiece in its simplicity yet thought-provoking approach to the subject. The language used is easy to understand, yet its potency for knowledge on the subject is profound.
The book begins with an introduction to China’s economic rise. After gaining independence in 1948, China remained isolated until the late 1970s. The premier at that time introduced a new economic policy that allowed China to participate in new endeavors, such as joining the WTO, which led to a significant increase in its GDP.
However, this sudden increase in economic power was perceived as a threat by the United States. In response, several influential Chinese leaders proposed the idea of peaceful development to explain China’s economic rise. This tactic, as explained by the author, involves using soft power and public diplomacy to stabilize and alter the global narrative of China. Another concept introduced is that of integrated public diplomacy.
In the past, diplomacy was limited to interactions between state officials, but in modern times, public diplomacy involves engaging with the international public directly through media outlets and social media campaigns. This approach helps build trust, reduce differences, and eliminate misinformation between foreign nations.
In 2005, during the 17th National Congress, CPC Hu Jintao included soft power as part of China’s legislation for its peaceful development idea. The country presents itself as a peaceful power, considering the billions in foreign direct investment it receives and the billions it has invested in Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia through the Belt and Road Initiative and other economic incentives.
As a major economic power, China needs soft power to coexist peacefully with the rest of the world, especially since it aims to achieve economic dominance in 2030, using the US as a stepping stone. Chinese soft power is quite diverse, based on its communist ideology and civilizational culture. It includes modern zeal and regional cohesion in terms of the economy.
However, western schools in the power transition or international system theory project China as a rising power, still subject to containment in terms of the economy and soft power opposition from the US. Despite the ongoing hostilities between China and the United States and the possibility of war, the situation is more complex, given the value of their trade, which exceeds $700 billion.
China uses various TV channels, internet apps, and websites, such as China Global, CTGN, Xinhua, and others, along with mainstream television and pandas, as an effective diplomatic tool. Chinese-mediated diplomacy in the United States is controlled by many social apps designed and controlled by Chinese firms, such as TikTok.Nation branding and image projection are crucial strategies used by countries to enhance their global reputation.
China has been utilizing nation branding to project itself as a peaceful world power that poses no threat to other nations. Despite territorial disputes with neighbouring countries such as Taiwan and India, China’s ancient civilization and economic success make it a formidable player in the global arena.
However, to improve its reputation in the West, China needs to invest more in diplomatic currency and soft power. By creating new ideas, icons, images, and brands that showcase its values and aspirations, China hopes to change the public perception of its image and overcome negative propaganda.
The author emphasized that China has been investing a large amount of money into the culture industry, for example, the Shanghai Olympics, World Expo 2010, and Confucius Institutes (CI) to promote its culture to the world. Chinese cuisine and culture, including food, pandas, kung fu films, paper printing, art, and modern-day e-gaming, and the diplomacy of sister cities are different initiatives started and propagated by the Chinese government to the world to protect their nation as a brand and provide a positive image to the world, especially the West.
The exchange programs and the number of cross-cultural students in both the United States and China also signify the impact and incentive of China in the projection of their positive diplomacy in the world. Hundreds of thousands of students study in both nations, which are important modes of public diplomacy and soft power multipliers in both states.
Toward the end of the book, the author cited some survey results that show the effects of the Chinese efforts of public diplomacy in the United States. However, there are criticisms of Chinese diplomacy and the efforts for soft power projects, as the outcome concerning the surveys is not up to the mark of satisfaction. The survey shows that a large number of people in the United States don’t use Chinese media applications that are very popular in the world.
The censorship of media in China, on social media, as well as the mainstream media, is very high, and very few government officials use Twitter and Facebook, which affects the United States population.
However, it raises questions for the author that how China is going to tackle the questions and project its soft power effectively when most of its government officials or successful businessmen are lost or kidnapped by the authorities for months without any notice? How are the West and the United States going to accept them as a potential partner when they don’t even let their progress and influence, just like a monarchy?
Another question for the author that he has not mentioned in the book is why the outcome of their efforts is still very low despite all the efforts they have put in, along with the monetary funding?
This book is a marvellous source of information for readers who have a keen interest in public diplomacy and international relations, and perhaps Pakistan can learn a lot from the policies of China that only economic power and military might are not enough to be considered a powerful and legitimate power, but soft power and acceptance of the world masses are also important.
Nation branding and image projection are key strategies used by countries to enhance their global reputation and China has been using nation branding in recent years to project itself as a peaceful world power that is not a threat to other nations.
