The Exercise and Role of China’s Public Diplomacy in Europe within the Context of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’
The Exercise and Role of China’s Public Diplomacy in Europe within the Context of the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’

Summary/Abstract: Within the context of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to connectChina and Europe, the role and exercise of public diplomacy in China-Europerelations is becoming increasingly significant, in particular China’s public diplomacyin Europe. China has had some success in exercising its public diplomacy in Europe,but the means of improving its relationship with Europe through public diplomacystrategy within the context of BRI have been discussed less. China has been investingheavily in its charm offensive, and it does have an increasingly positive influence ondeveloping countries, especially in Africa and Latin America. However, its imagein Europe is still predominantly negative. Due to the differences in cultural normsand values between China and Europe, it is not enough for China to use its traditionalculture and history to create soft power; instead, it needs to unleash the talents of itscivil society and make its attractiveness conform to domestic realities. This articleaims to tackle problems with the exercise of China’s public diplomacy in Europeand provide practical suggestions on how to enhance it in the future, particularlythrough the use of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). To this end, workingwithin the theory of constructivism, it proposes that China and Europe must gobeyond the emotional entanglements of history and culture, cultivate innovativethinking and initiate a new paradigm in China-Europe relations.

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