Engaging Diaspora via Charm Offensive and Indigenised Communication: An Analysis of China's Diaspora Engagement Policies in the Xi Era
| Author | Sheng Ding |
| Date | 01 November 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-9256.12087 |
| Published date | 01 November 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Engaging Diaspora via Charm Offensive and
Indigenised Communication: An Analysis of
China’s Diaspora Engagement Policies in
the Xi Era
Sheng Ding
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
As China’s national image is haunted by its poor human rights records and increasingly assertive foreign
policies, the Chinese diaspora has become an important platform for the country’s public diplomacy. Since Xi
Jinping came to power, the Chinese government has made great effortsto launch soft power campaigns in order
to better engage the 50 million overseas Chinese and communicate China’s ideas to the outside world. The Xi
administration’s diaspora engagement policies focus on: (1) indigenising international communication to
improve China’s national image; (2) jump-starting immigration reform to win the minds and hearts of overseas
Chinese; and (3) strengthening education exchanges to shape the diasporic identity of overseas Chinese.
Through historical comparisons and policy analyses, this article argues that China’s current diaspora engage-
ment policies are based on the Chinese leaders’ new vision of public diplomacy, which is approached with soft
power strategy. However,due to the limits of Chinese soft power – particularly the lack of political reform and
rule of law – the Chinese government will face an uphill battle to attain its long-lasting appeal of soft power and
implement its diaspora engagement policies effectively.
Keywords: Chinese diaspora; soft power; diaspora engagement; public diplomacy; national image
To strengthen China’s soft power, the country needs to build its capacity in international
communication, construct a communication system, better use the new media and increase
the creativity, appeal and credibility of China’s publicity. The stories of China should be well
told, voices of China well spread, and characteristics of China well explained.1
During the last two decades, policy makers, academics and the media around the world have
taken note of the impact of China’s ascendency on international affairs. There has been a
more or less consistent belief that a rising China spells trouble to the existent Western-
dominated international order (Buzan, 2010; Glaser and Medeiros, 2007; Goldstein, 1997;
Johnston, 2003). Since the new generation of Chinese leaders, with Xi Jinping at the helm,
came to power in 2012, the US and many Asian states have become increasingly wary of
China’s growing assertiveness in both foreign and defence policies. Besides its eye-catching
development of blue-water and space warfare capabilities such as the rollout of its new stealth
fighter and aircraft carrier, China has become ostensibly hawkish in its handling of territorial
disputes with Asian neighbours. In addition, as an authoritarian state on the rise, Beijing’s
policy orientations have always raised doubts for liberal democratic states. Against this
backdrop, China’s new leaders face an uphill battle to communicate with international
audiences, promote their national image and advance their national interests.
Soft power – an important conceptual approach to understanding a state’s foreign policy – has
been embraced by Beijing’s policy makers and applied to their foreign policy initiatives during
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POLITICS: 2015 VOL 35(3-4), 230–244
doi: 10.1111/1467-9256.12087
© 2015 The Author.Politics © 2015 Political Studies Association
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