Cultural diplomacy as a promoter of China’s foreign policy

Tsyu Shuangshuang Postgraduate student; Department of Theory and History of International Relations; P. Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6, Moscow, 117198, Russia 1536035292@qq.com

Introduction

The relevance of the research topic is due to the rapid development of cultural diplomacy in China against the background of the actualization of the confrontation between China and the United States for world domination.

The object of the research is cultural diplomacy of the PRC.

The subject of the study is cultural diplomacy of the PRC as an instrument of the PRC's foreign policy.

The purpose of the study is to determine the role of cultural diplomacy in China's foreign policy.

In the course of the research, the author faced the following tasks: to study the history of Chinese cultural diplomacy after the formation of the PRC, to identify key changes in cultural diplomacy of the PRC against the background of the deterioration of bilateral relations with the USSR and the beginning of the reform and openness policy in the PRC, to analyze cultural diplomacy of the PRC at the present stage, to identify the main tools for the implementation of cultural diplomacy of the PRC.

Theoretical and methodological basis of the research. This scientific work is based on the theory of power transit, which explains the process of changing the global leader on the world stage and the processes accompanying it.

The scientific novelty of this study is to identify the key tools of Chinese cultural diplomacy at the present stage, which include academic exchanges, the dissemination of the Chinese language, cinema, video games; establishing Western youth as a key goal of Chinese cultural diplomacy.

The history and peculiarities of cultural diplomacy of the People's Republic of China

The concept of cultural diplomacy, introduced into political science in the first half of the 20th century by the American scientist Frederick Barghurn and denoting a tool of cultural influence on the population, public opinion leaders (crowbars) and heads of state ^[1], is inextricably linked with "soft power", formulated by the American by scientist Joseph Nye. "Soft power" in Nai's understanding is one of the elements of state power on a par with "traditional / hard power", which consists in forcing other states to desire what the country itself desires- the source of "soft power", however, the author notes that "soft power" in the modern world is becoming more beneficial for states due to the increased the risk and cost of using traditional force. D. Nye considers finance, international institutions, information, culture, and ideology to be tools of "soft power" ^[2].

The key instruments of cultural diplomacy can be considered art, cinema, music, dance, sculpture, educational and language programs, literature, history, academic mobility, ideology.

Despite the fact that the definition of cultural diplomacy was formulated only in the 20th century, the implementation of this policy began long before that period. China is a prime example of a State that has resorted to cultural diplomacy. For China, as one of the oldest existing states, cultural diplomacy played one of the most important roles in foreign policy, however, this article will analyze only the experience of implementing cultural diplomacy in China after the formation of the People's Republic of China ^[3].

After the Communist forces led by Mao Zedong came to power in China, the People's Republic of China was formed as a result of a long and bloody civil war, with socialism serving as its state-forming ideology. The cultural diplomacy of the PRC in the early period of the state's existence was based primarily on the ideology of socialism itself and was aimed at improving the image of the Soviet Union in the eyes of its own citizens due to the complex history of bilateral relations between China and the Russian Empire, and the actions of the USSR against the PRC following the Yalta Conference. Examples of such cultural diplomacy include the activities of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Society, established in 1949, which consisted in organizing celebrations of holidays relevant to both countries and conducting active propaganda activities within the country. Moreover, the Chinese side organized educational and cultural exchanges. However, as Yang Ziye notes, at the early stage of the PRC's existence, China's cultural diplomacy was directed not at other countries, but at its own people ^[4].

The active implementation of Chinese cultural diplomacy outside the country began in the first half of the 1950s, with the Soviet Union becoming the main focus: Chinese national art and theater groups made visits to the USSR, where their activities were appreciated. Moreover, Chinese films were shown on the territory of the Soviet Union, the most popular of which was the film "Children of China".

As for the Asian states, China's cultural diplomacy was based on exporting the teachings of Mao Zedong as a Marxist theorist. Moreover, the common historical past was exported, built on the occupation of part of the territories by Japan, which is clearly seen in the example of the DPRK. Thus, it can be concluded that the cultural diplomacy of the PRC during the reign of Mao Zedong focused on the countries of the socialist camp due to the need for closer cooperation between states.

Against the background of the deterioration of bilateral relations between the PRC and the USSR and the beginning of Deng Xiaoping's policy of reform and openness, the priorities of Chinese cultural diplomacy shifted from the countries of the socialist camp to the states of the West: the goals of cultural diplomacy of the PRC of that period fully correspond to Deng Xiaoping's foreign policy. The policy of reform and openness was based on the introduction of capitalist institutions into the PRC economy in order to attract foreign investment for the further development of the country and solve the problems accumulated in the PRC at that time. Moreover, one of the most important incentives for the activation of cultural diplomacy of the PRC in Western countries was the adoption by the UN General Assembly of Resolution No. 2758 (Restoration of the legitimate rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations), according to which the PRC becomes one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council instead of the Chiang Kai-shek government. It is important to note that many Western countries voted for the recognition of the PRC in the international arena, including Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, and France ^[5].

The key instruments of China's cultural diplomacy in Western countries and in the United States, in particular, were international exhibitions held both in China and in Western countries. Within the framework of these exhibitions, Chinese culture was promoted, which was represented in Western countries by the PRC, and not by Taiwan. Moreover, these exhibitions stimulated the development of trade turnover between China and Western countries, which is confirmed by the speech of the president of the US National Council on Sino-American Trade in 1980: "This year alone, the National Council predicts record bilateral trade between China and the United States worth about 4 billion dollars, of which 3 billion will be US exports to China., and almost $1 billion in Chinese imports... If China's efforts to promote exports are successful, this will allow China to earn the dollars needed to place orders for more American products"^[6].

In order to implement Chinese cultural diplomacy in Western countries, the following government agencies have been established:

1. Information Bureau of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (eng. State Council Information Office - SCIO);

2. Bureau of External Cultural Relations of the People's Republic of China (English Bureau for External Cultural Relations - BECR) ^[7].

Summing up all the above, we can conclude that the cultural diplomacy of the PRC has played a significant role in the foreign policy of the state since its foundation. Initially, the key goal of cultural diplomacy of the PRC was to improve the image of the USSR among its own population due to the importance of the Soviet Union for the newly formed republic. Over time, the vector of cultural diplomacy of the PRC shifted from its own population to the Soviet Union, where Chinese national art and theater groups, Chinese films, and academic exchanges were conducted. However, against the background of the deterioration of bilateral relations with the USSR and the beginning of the implementation of the policy of reform and openness in the PRC, the vector of cultural diplomacy shifted to Western countries in order to attract Western capital to the country's economy and promote Chinese culture in Western countries, represented specifically by the PRC, and not partially recognized by the Republic of China.

Analysis of cultural diplomacy of China in the 21st century in the context of its foreign policy course

Of course, China's cultural diplomacy intensified already in the 21st century, when the People's Republic of China was able to achieve de facto parity of power with the United States in the context of global leadership. As noted by Degterev D.A., Ramich M.S. and Tsvyk A.V. in their work "USA –China: "power transit" and the contours of the "new bipolarity"": at the time of the early 2020s, China was inferior to the United States in terms of global leadership only in intangible resources, which the authors include diplomatic influence, network inter-state unions, "soft power" ^[8].

In view of the previously mentioned confrontation between China and the United States for global leadership, the People's Republic of China has intensified its own cultural diplomacy, which has become significantly more complex and multi-vector, the main directions of which are both the developed countries of Europe, North America and Asia, as well as the developing countries of the "global South".

As you know, after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the influence of US cultural diplomacy in the world increased due to the lack of alternatives from socialist countries, thus, the leadership of the United States in the field of cultural diplomacy became literally limitless. The leadership of the United States in the field of cultural diplomacy was ensured both by the activities of various subordinate NGOs, foundations, and the media, as well as by the growing popularity in third countries of American cinema, musical genres and compositions, and video games that promoted the American way of life (the so-called American Dream) and the English language ^[9].

Against the background of the dominance of the United States in the field of cultural diplomacy, the methodology of cultural expansion on the part of the PRC has changed significantly: the key tools of modern cultural diplomacy of the PRC are academic exchanges, the dissemination of the Chinese language, cinema, and video games.

Academic exchanges and academic mobility. In parallel with the growing influence of China on the international arena and the development of high-tech industries in China, the higher education system has also developed: according to the QS World University Rankings, in 2025, 5 universities of China entered the top 100 best higher education institutions in the world (for comparison, the top 100 best universities in the world includes 1 university of the Russian Federation – MSU, 15 English universities, 4 French universities, 25 US universities) ^[10].

At the moment, the People's Republic of China is implementing more than 10 academic scholarship programs aimed at attracting international students. These programs are divided into state, non-state and university programs ^[11].

According to Western sources, in 2024, more than 250 thousand foreign students studied in China, which is less than 1% of the total number of students in China ^[12].

At the same time, it is worth noting that China is the leader in the number of students studying abroad: in 2021, the number of Chinese students studying in other countries reached 1 million people. The most popular countries for teaching Chinese students are the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, France, Japan, Russia, etc. ^[13]

Chinese language. The growing popularity of the Chinese language around the world is primarily due to the rapid economic growth of the People's Republic of China. It was this factor that demonstrated to the citizens of foreign countries the prospects of the Chinese language, which acts as a tool for professional growth for specialists.

The most obvious tool for promoting the Chinese language abroad is the network of Confucius Institutes. These institutions carry out activities on teaching Chinese, promoting Chinese culture, conducting language tests and training professional staff ^[14].

Cinema. The film industry is one of the most important tools of cultural diplomacy, as it is able to spread the history, lifestyle, certain ideas and ideology to the general public. Throughout the existence of this art form, Chinese cinema has remained unpopular, incomparable in quality and scope with Western and even Soviet/Russian cinema. However, certain Chinese films still found their audience outside of China: as an example, the film "The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir", released in 2021, tells about the heroism of Chinese soldiers during the Korean War and became the highest-grossing film in the history of the People's Republic of China, grossing more than 900 millions of US dollars.

Video games. Video games as an art genre are the youngest in comparison with painting, literature and cinema, but at the moment they have a significant impact on the minds of their target audience: young people.

It is worth noting that there are very few video games that promote Chinese history, culture, philosophy, etc. and have reached a certain level of popularity outside of China, but it is worth highlighting one project that has had a significant impact on both players and the entire video game industry: "Black Myth:Wukong", released in 2024. The Chinese company Game Science has sold over 20 million copies worldwide ^[15]. It is also worth noting that this video game was warmly received by Western players: some of the most popular Western aggregator sites collecting reviews from both critics and users, represented by IGN and PC Gamer, rated this project at 8 and 8.7 on a ten-point system, respectively ^[16].

One of the most important factors in the growing influence of the Chinese video game industry is the activities of the Chinese media giant Tencent, which invests heavily in the development of projects that can be released in China, which in turn contributes to the introduction of certain elements of Chinese culture in video games. According to Western analysts of the video game entertainment market, the Chinese media giant has a significant financial stake in the following Western video game development companies: Riot Games, Epic Games, FromSoftware, Ubisoft, etc. ^[17]

Summing up all of the above, we can conclude that after the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the dominance of American cultural diplomacy, the goals and tools of Chinese cultural diplomacy have changed significantly. The key tools of China's modern cultural diplomacy are academic exchanges, Chinese language dissemination, cinematography, and video games. Based on the tools of modern cultural diplomacy of the PRC, it is safe to say that its key recipients are representatives of Western youth who seek to absorb media content from Chinese authors, learn Chinese and study in the PRC.

Conclusion

Summing up all of the above, we can conclude that since its foundation, the cultural diplomacy of the PRC has been aimed at improving the image of the Soviet Union in the eyes of its own population, but over time, the course of foreign policy has changed from internal to external: towards the Soviet Union. After the beginning of the deterioration of bilateral relations between the PRC and the USSR and the implementation of Deng Xiaoping's policy of reform and openness, the course of cultural diplomacy of the PRC shifted to Western countries. The key instruments of China's cultural diplomacy in Western countries and in the United States, in particular, were international exhibitions held both in China and in Western countries. Within the framework of these exhibitions, Chinese culture was promoted, represented in Western countries by the PRC, and not by Taiwan. Moreover, these exhibitions stimulated the development of trade turnover between China and Western countries.

The intensification of cultural diplomacy in China occurred against the background of achieving parity with the United States in most key indicators reflecting the global leadership of the state. However, at the moment, the dominance of American cultural diplomacy remains, against the background of which the instruments of cultural diplomacy of the PRC have also changed, which include academic exchanges, the spread of the Chinese language, cinema, and video games. Based on the analysis of the instruments of cultural diplomacy of the PRC, it can be unequivocally concluded that its goal is the younger generation of Western countries, due to their increased interest in Chinese media products, learning Chinese and studying in the PRC.