Searching for Soft Power: China’s New Strategies in International Communication

Associate Professor Chen Kaihe, School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, P.R. China

China has achieved rapid economic growth in the past three decades. It’s been widely recognized as a growing economic power. Can China’s growth be sustainable in the foreseeable future? What does it mean for the international community? Such are the questions often raised. The lecture will address these questions through discussion of the Chinese perception of soft power and its policy implications, particularly in the area of international communication. China has made tremendous efforts to develop its soft power, although there have been controversies among Chinese elites on this imported concept. In searching for its soft power, China has resort to both domestic and international resources. Domestically, as one of the world’s oldest civilizations, China is reviving its traditional cultural heritage such as the Confucianism and Taoism; internationally, China has to strike a balance between a unique national identity and the universality of international norms. In this process, and in projecting the soft power abroad, China’s international communication strategies have undergone significant changes both in theory and in practices. The traditional policy distinction between domestic and international communication has gradually broken down. The transparency and accessibility of governmental information has improved substantially. The room for societal actors has been improving. The cooperation between Chinese and international media has been encouraged generally. And as part of its efforts to promote traditional values, China in recent years has actively support the Confucius Institute around the world. But there are much room for improvement of China’s international communication, and time is needed for these new strategies to take effect. After all, China still has a long way to go to become a well-accepted state with attractive soft power.