The tasks of cultural diplomacy as part of the strategic culture of the People's Republic of China.

Romanova Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Postgraduate Student, Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy, Russian State University for the Humanities 6, Rodnikovaya str., Moscow, 119297, Russia katerina_romanova13@mail.ru

             Introduction

The reason why cultural diplomacy has become an important part of China's overall diplomacy is mainly determined by the following two aspects:

Firstly, any country in the world is not only a material, but also a spiritual, that is, a cultural unit. Marx said: "The mode of production of material life determines the social, political and spiritual processes of life. It is not the consciousness of people that determines their being, but, on the contrary, their social being determines their consciousness^[1]." It can be seen from this that classical Marxists view society as consisting of such elements as an economic, political and cultural structure. Therefore, as part of a person's social practice, diplomatic activity should begin with three aspects: economics, politics and culture.

Secondly, "soft power", as the basis of cultural diplomacy, is an important content of international relations. Each country and people have their own civilization, but all the time, due to the limitations of geography, technology and other conditions, the culture of each state or individual region existed separately in its own way. The development of globalization absorbs the cultures of different countries into the network of an international society and develops into cultural globalization. In fact, at the end of the XIX century, international relations developed into cultural interaction. Today, states have already changed the initial limited cultural exchanges from casual to universal, got rid of the previous geographical restrictions, violated the isolation of national culture, realized the need for cultural dialogue between different countries.

Tasks of China's Cultural Diplomacy

Cultural diplomacy is necessary for the socio-economic development of China. It promotes the development of economic and trade exchanges.

The XXI century will replace the era in which material production dominated, and will enter a new era of cultural consumption. Cultural connotation is increasingly becoming a major factor in consumption patterns, and cultural factors also directly stimulate economic production and consumption.

Economic interests occupy an important place among national interests, and cultural diplomacy has become an effective means for various countries to realize their economic interests. During the period of the policy of reform and openness, China gained a wealth of experience in promoting economic interests through cultural diplomacy. Cultural diplomacy has earned the recognition and support of mainland Chinese, in Hong Kong and Macau, taking full advantage of the same language and customs, as well as contributing to the growth of overseas Chinese investment. In the case of sluggish investments, it was Chinese emigrants who overcame difficulties and established trade ties between China and foreign countries. Most of them invested in Guangdong, Fujian and other places. This not only provided a source of funds, but also facilitated transportation. More importantly, the same customs and habits of the country also played an indispensable role in foreign trade.

In addition, the share of cultural products in foreign economic activity and trade is increasing every year, and cultural products and consumption are gradually taking a dominant position in socio-economic development. China participates in the cultural industry competition and actively promotes continuous development. China is keeping pace with the global pace of development, fully exploiting the advantages of Chinese traditional culture, increasing investment in the cultural industry. In addition, the value of cultural industry products in the Chinese system doubled from year to year. As for tourism, the number of tourists arriving in China has increased significantly, and foreign currency receipts have increased accordingly.

It can be seen that foreign cultural exchanges have contributed to the constant growth of exports of cultural products, which not only allows other countries to absorb authentic cultural elements, but also plays an important role in promoting the economic development of the country^[2].

Cultural diplomacy may well contribute to the development of economic diplomacy. Economic diplomacy refers to foreign economic activity carried out by a sovereign State to satisfy its own economic interests using economic, trade and other means.  After the Cold War, exchanges between countries became closer and closer, and their status in the international space was constantly improving, so increasing economic power became the goal and value of achieving each country. By constantly strengthening economic power, it is possible to ensure rapid economic development and stabilize its international status. In order to increase productivity and ensure continuous economic development, it is necessary not only to be independent and independent, but also to strengthen economic exchanges and cooperation with the outside world. However, in order to ensure uninterrupted economic exchange and cooperation, it is first necessary to create a good political and cultural atmosphere as a guarantee, constantly strengthen cultural exchanges with foreign countries, actively study and understand the history, culture, traditions and customs of other peoples. Cultural diplomacy increasingly acts as a "cultural messenger" and makes an important contribution to economic exchanges and cooperation between different countries. For example, in recent years, South Korea has been actively developing the service sector, attracting Chinese tourists to Korea for sightseeing, promoting its own cultural products, holding cultural festivals and other events in many places in China, which has significantly contributed to the development of the country's economy. The development of the economy has increased the popularity of South Korea and expanded the recognition of China in South Korea.

Secondly, cultural diplomacy may well contribute to the influx of elements of economic capital. On the one hand, a good cultural environment can provide some intellectual and technical support for economic development, on the other hand, cultural diplomacy itself can arouse the interest of other countries through "soft power" and constantly absorb advanced technologies, capital and resources. For example, the US government uses methods such as studying abroad and immigration to attract outstanding scientists who are seeking higher education, as well as to develop outstanding talents. Therefore, a good and stable political and cultural environment can attract a large amount of foreign capital to the country, contribute to the improvement and optimization of its economic institutions, increase the competitiveness of the country in the international community, as well as create a good reputation in international relations^[3].

Cultural diplomacy contributes to the optimization of the economic structure. Economic growth can be divided into two types: extensive growth mode and intensive growth mode. The extensive way of economic growth is mainly based on investing in the production and consumption of natural materials. It is obvious that such economic growth is carried out due to the destruction of the ecological environment, which leads to an aggravation of the contradiction between man and the natural environment, which not only destroys the ecosystem, but also does not contribute to improving the quality of human life.

The sustainable development regime is based on the contribution of culture, knowledge, intelligence and other elements, that is, it is mainly based on the development of the cultural economy. This mode of modern economic development requires advanced science and technology, highly skilled workers and other advantages. Thus, sustainable development requires not only the prosperity of culture, but also going abroad, the active implementation of cultural exchanges and cooperation, as well as the consumption of cultural content, provided that the environment is protected. Faced with a situation of fierce competition for resources, China is actively implementing a strategy of cultural diplomacy and strengthening cultural exchanges and cooperation, which leads to the enrichment of the cultural connotation of the country, thereby ensuring sustainable development, strengthening the economic power of the country, and, finally, the transition from extensive to intensive changes in the way of economic growth.

Optimization of the economic structure plays an important role in economic development. Cultural diplomacy is a form of diplomacy, the carrier of which is culture. It provides an effective platform for the circulation and consumption of national cultural products that can strengthen the "soft power". On the one hand, the development of the cultural industry leads to the fact that the share of the tertiary industry in the industrial structure is constantly growing, and its status in the country's economy is also increasing, gradually becoming the main industry. For example, the tourism industry has contributed to the development and growth of the transport industry, catering, and the film and television industry has made tourism, clothing manufacturing and other industries popular. The cultural industry is rapidly becoming the main branch of the national economy. In the modern world, culture is not only a resource, but also a creative industry that plays an important role in promoting the regime of intensive economic growth.

Cultural diplomacy is necessary for the implementation and development of China's diplomatic strategy. It contributes to the achievement of China's foreign policy goals^[4]. This is mainly reflected in the following three aspects: first, cultural diplomacy is an important form of China's foreign cultural strategic goals. It is highly effective, promotes the strengthening of close ties between cultural personnel in different countries, thereby increasing exchanges and cooperation between cultural figures. Faced with the acceleration of the globalization process, cultural diplomacy leads to the fact that China has carried out advertising in a short period of time, and countries around the world have the opportunity to understand the latest cultural trends of China and achievements in the field of cultural development.

Secondly, cultural diplomacy embodies the important content of China's foreign policy strategic goals in the field of culture. Constant development has allowed China to form a socialist cultural diplomacy with Chinese specifics. However, the goal of China's foreign cultural strategy is not only to promote Chinese culture and allow the world to understand China, but, more importantly, to present to the world the image of China as a great power and the independence of the Celestial Empire from the world. This is supposed to play a positive role in ending the Chinese threat theory and create a harmonious international environment in which the PRC will strive for peaceful development.

Thirdly, cultural diplomacy is the embodiment of China's foreign cultural strategic goals. Beijing has held many international cultural events, successfully attracting the attention of countries around the world. Taking advantage of this opportunity, other states come to understand China, which has a positive effect on the expansion of China's influence in the international space. The ultimate goal of China's cultural diplomacy is to expand China's influence in world politics, give the world a correct idea of China, realize the fundamental changes in the Celestial Empire and change the image. The solution of these tasks promotes mutual cooperation in all areas and common development^[5].

The next task of cultural diplomacy is the desire to create a favorable international public opinion and the promotion of "soft power"^[6], that is, the formation of a positive image of the country in the international community, expanding its influence and increasing its attractiveness. A comprehensive understanding and assessment of the political, economic, social and cultural factors of other countries is the international image of the country, which is an impression of the actions and abilities of the country in the framework of international relations. In the sphere of world politics, the formation of a positive international image is an important strategic goal formulated by each State and an effective means of achieving national interests. As soon as the country has a good international image, it will win international public opinion. It can be used as a directly accessible resource that will have many intangible and powerful levers of influence.

After the Opium Wars, China was exposed to Western colonialism. However, after the founding of the New China and the implementation of a policy of reform and openness, the PRC has made constant efforts to participate in international affairs. This is important for gaining favorable international public opinion, and also plays a big role in awakening the recognition of other countries in the international community, as a result of which China's image is constantly improving.

Ultimately, the creation of a positive image of the country depends on the strength of the country's own culture, and culture has become an important symbol of a favorable image of the state. Culture is the product of many years of life practice of the people, spiritual food and way of life. People have been influenced by this culture for a long time. In turn, there is a close connection between culture and country. Thus, culture can contribute to the transformation of the country's image. Thanks to her edification and influence, people's worldview and values are constantly changing.

Another important task of cultural diplomacy is the ability to mitigate contradictions in the international community.

There are contradictions everywhere, and the world cannot always be in a state of harmony. Each country has its own interests. The conflict of interests is the root cause of conflicts on the world stage. Decision-makers in a country are often influenced by the historical traditions of the state and habits of thinking. That is, national interests are subjective, so there will be a conflict of interests between different countries.  That is, it is caused by differences in different national cultures^[7]. Each country has its own national culture, which is characterized by diversity, the influence of factors such as different values, ideas, historical traditions, national characteristics, so that completely different national cultures arise. "The most insurmountable barrier in nature is between the thoughts of one person and the thoughts of another," said the famous American philosopher William James^[8]. Therefore, due to the influence of traditions, ideology and other aspects, contradictions and conflicts will arise in different cultural systems.

Thus, today "soft power" occupies an important place in the overall power of the country, and culture plays an increasingly important role^[9]. Differences between ideological and cultural concepts lead to conflicts. Therefore, in order to mitigate contradictions in the interests of States, it is necessary to make full use of the effectiveness of culture, carry out active cultural diplomacy, strengthen ties between different countries, relations of mutual friendship and mutual assistance, eliminate misunderstandings, promote the integration of different cultures and the harmonious development of the world^[10].

Cultural diplomacy is necessary for the cultural development of the Chinese nation. It promotes the formation of new thinking. The constant development of cultural exchanges strengthens the cultural consciousness of people, thereby contributing to the awakening of national consciousness. The Chinese people insist on preserving the beautiful spirit of the Chinese nation and continue to develop the spirit of patriotism, unity and friendship, self-improvement, in particular mutual assistance and cooperation with peoples. Thinking about peaceful development is a key focus of China's cultural diplomacy.

In recent years, many cultural exchange events have been held in China. For example, the International Year of Fine Arts, the International Year of Ethnic Song and Dance, "Meeting in Beijing", etc., where creative teams from many countries of the world gathered to perform in China. Many regions use local cultural resources, such as traditional art and other types of folk culture, to actively participate in events, which plays an important role in improving the cultural standard of living of people. In the future, it will strengthen the cultural identity of other countries and create a favorable international environment for China's peaceful diplomacy.  

The standard for measuring a country's "soft power" is to consider its cultural competitiveness. Culture is an important factor for actors in interstate relations. Not only economic, technological and military power, but also cultural "soft power" has a profound impact on relations between different countries^[11]. Therefore, after the Cold War, the world powers invested their ideology and ideas in monetary activities, striving for the most favorable international order and the environment. Developed countries, represented by the United States, attach great importance to the "soft power" of their country, create appropriate cultural institutions, implement cultural projects, increase the intensity of cultural exchanges with foreign countries, strengthen their own cultural competitiveness^[12].

Cultural diplomacy contributes to the maintenance of China's cultural security and leads to the popularization of the diversity of world culture.

Historical experience tells us that a nation that forgets its history, abandons its ancestors, does not respect its own cultural traditions, will not have a good future. What needs to be done is to attach great importance to the protection and inheritance of traditional Chinese culture, as well as actively pursue cultural diplomacy to spread Chinese culture, as well as maintain national cultural security.

In addition, Western developed countries have launched a powerful cultural offensive.  For example, the United States, relying on its economic and technological might, forcibly instill cultural concepts in other countries of the world, which undoubtedly poses a great threat to cultural security, especially to developing countries. In the face of this situation, China can only strengthen cultural competition in the country by actively promoting cultural diplomacy, introducing outstanding achievements of foreign cultures, combining local cultural advantages of its country, actively increasing cultural innovation and using more cultural resources. It can be noted that cultural diplomacy plays an important role in countering malicious cultural competition, preventing the assimilation of traditional Chinese culture and maintaining national cultural security.

The world's cultures are diverse, so in the face of the diverse cultural forms in the world, China respects and protects them. Under the influence of the Western postmodern society based on the theory of interest and the theory of consumption, people began to understand that any culture in the world is an organic independent body, has its own value and significance. This is the continuation of the existence of human civilization.

However, protecting cultural diversity is far from enough. For example, English has become the most widely spoken language in the world. Ethnic minorities account for a large proportion of them. 80% of the world's inhabitants use Chinese, English, Russian and other languages. However, more than 3,000 languages are isolated, threatened with extinction, and many carriers of cultural heritage are gradually being lost. The continuous reduction of cultural diversity will lead to the fact that the balance will gradually be disturbed. Therefore, cultural diplomacy should work for exchanges between different cultures. Cultural diversity is not only the main feature of the development of human civilization, but also the driving force of its continuous development. Only by strengthening the connection between different cultures can we move towards progress and continuous development. Thus, in the face of the trend of cultural globalization, the exchange and integration of different cultures contribute to enriching the spiritual connotation of each country.

Conclusion

As a country with a long history, China's culture is an important feature of the Celestial Empire. We can say that Chinese culture is a single whole. From the point of view of the development of "soft power" and cultural diplomacy, the PRC continues to fully use its advantages, changing itself, other countries and the world as a whole.

Currently, the role of cultural diplomacy in relations between countries is becoming more important, and its status is getting higher. Participants in international relations constantly emphasize the promotion of "soft power" and cultural diplomacy. The international community is fighting to provide a favorable environment for the development of the country and its people. Therefore, everyone should carry out cultural exchanges on the basis of respect for national equality, maintain the authenticity of the content of cultural exchanges and adhere to a long-term cultural foreign policy of common development. Thanks to cultural diplomacy, China and other actors can really achieve friendly relations and cooperation, understanding of their culture and thinking, which is important for creating a positive national image, increasing cultural competitiveness and expanding "soft power".

Cultural diplomacy is increasingly becoming an effective means of shaping the country's image. It determines the status and prestige of the country in the international socio-political arena, which will play an important role in winning favorable international public opinion and, in turn, will have a significant impact on China's political strategy, the implementation and development of which is of irreplaceable importance.

In carrying out cultural diplomacy, China pays attention to some points. First, it is necessary to resist cultural hegemony. The PRC is trying to understand the direction of advanced culture and advance the traditional culture of China, but without engaging in hegemony, and resolutely resist the cultural hegemony of all countries. Beijing insists on cultural diversity and emphasizes the peaceful coexistence of different cultures. Secondly, China insists on learning from each other and complementing each other's advantages. The report of the XVII National Congress of the Communist Party of China stated that "cultures should learn from each other, flourish together and not exclude the cultures of other peoples^[13]."  According to the Chinese government, everyone should learn from the advantages of each other's cultures, compensate for their shortcomings and strive for common development and prosperity. This is the only way to advance national culture and build a new harmonious international cultural order. Thirdly, it is necessary to adhere to the policy of cultural self-confidence. This means that the people of China should be confident in the traditional culture of their country, unwaveringly adhere to traditional Chinese culture and move it forward.