This edited volume presents the results of a three-year comparative study on Chinese cultural diplomacy (CD) across Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, which contributes to the broader theoretical debate on China`s increasing soft power in international relations. The study, ‘China's Cultural Diplomacy and the Role of Non-State Actors’ was conducted by a research team at the Oriental Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic from 2015 to 2018. This book pays special attention to China’s localized forms of CD, focusing on the regional variations and involvement of non-state actors, especially local actors outside China. Local actors involved in Chinese CD diplomacy are characterized by their intermediary status as working for the aims of two states, while trying to bridge conflicts and enhance mutual understanding.
This book will be of interest to scholars, diplomats, and China watchers.
Author(s): Jarmila Ptáčková, Ondřej Klimeš, Gary Rawnsley
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 230
City: Cham
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Tables
1 Introduction: The Soft Edges of China’s Hard Power
References
2 Cultural Diplomacy Today: A ‘Culture of Dialogue’ or a ‘Dialogue of Cultures’?
Cultural Diplomacy
The Limits of Cultural Diplomacy
References
3 Xinjiang in China’s Public Diplomacy in Central Asia: Case Study of Almaty
Introduction
China’s Central Asian Policy
Transnational Muslim Nationalities of the PRC’s Northwest and the CARs
Official Conceptualization of Xinjiang and Its Muslims in the PRC’s Public Diplomacy
Actors and Message of China’s Public Diplomacy in Almaty
Liabilities of China’s Public Diplomacy in CA
Conclusion
References
4 China’s ‘Silk Road’ Public Diplomacy in Central Asia: Rethinking the ‘Network’ Approach to the Study of Public Diplomacy and Its Instrumentalism
Introduction
Conceptual Approach to Studying ‘Silk Road’ Diplomacy
Academic Network in Tashkent
Cultural Networks in Almaty and Tashkent
Conceptual and Theoretical Implications
Conclusion
References
5 Establishing a Common Ground—Admiral Zheng He as an Agent of Cultural Diplomacy in Malaysia
The Appeal of Zheng He’s Voyages
Zheng He Cultural Museum in Malacca
Publications and Activities of the International Zheng He Society
Malacca
Conclusion
References
6 Two Confucius Institutes and a Cross-Border University as Sites of China’s Cultural Diplomacy in Malaysia: The Limitations of ‘Domestic Structures’
Introduction
The Impact of Domestic Structures
Endorsement of Problematic Chinese Projects—Political End of Najib and the ‘Special’ Relationship
A New Approach to China Under Mahathir
Education as the Essential Tool of China’s Cultural Diplomacy in Malaysia
Tertiary Education—Another Efficient Tool of China’s Public Diplomacy
The Role of Chinese Diplomats in Chinese Education in Malaysia
Conclusion
References
7 Attracting the Arabs? Promoting ‘Muslim’ China to Boost Regional Development in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
Introduction
The Background of the China-Arab Friendship in Ningxia
Ningxia Inland Opening-Up Pilot Economic Zone
Creating the ‘Muslim’ Image of Ningxia
Fulfilling the China-Arab Agenda
Strengthening Ethnic Cultural Identity or Building Up a Tourist Site?
Conclusion
References
8 China’s Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin: The Impact of Transnational and Local Actors
Introduction
Chinese Cultural Diplomacy in Europe, Germany, and Berlin
Berlin and China: Historical Overview and Background
Overview of Networks and Institutions in Berlin
Exhibitions and Museums
Berlin-Beijing City Partnership
China’s Cultural Diplomacy Actors in Berlin
Chinese State Actors in Berlin
Semi-State Actors and Cooperation Between Different Actors
Confucius Institute at the Free University of Berlin (Konfuzius-Institut an der Freien Universität Berlin)
Non-State Actors (Including Transnational Chinese and German Actors)
Other Organizations
Cultural Diplomacy and Research/Education
Conclusion
References
9 Trajectory of Chinese Cultural Diplomacy: The Case of International Co-production of Documentaries
Introduction
Investment vs. Resources: 1979 to the 1990s
China Reaching Out: 2001–2010
International Expansion of Chinese Media: 2011–Present
CCTV Documentary Channel
CICC
Conclusion
References
Index
