China’s Public Diplomacy and Its Foreign Policy Towards Central and South Asia

Burcu, Oana and Boni, Filippo (2022). China’s Public Diplomacy and Its Foreign Policy Towards Central and South Asia. In: Zhang, Xiaoling and Schultz, Corey eds. China's International Communication and Relationship Building. Communicating China. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 79–96.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003254157-7

Abstract

This chapter analyses how China has promoted its interests under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) using a set of strategic tools, which we define as enmeshment and appeasement. More specifically, the analysis considers the dynamics characterizing China’s BRI in Central and South Asia, in order to outline patterns of engagement along the route. The chapter uses the case study of Russia and India, which represent key actors for the BRI, owing to the competition over power and influence in which China is engaged on its Western and Southern border with these two regional powers. Based on a systematic analysis of two Chinese newspapers—the Global Times and People’s Daily—the empirical sections highlight China’s public diplomacy strategy towards Russia and India’s concerns over the BRI. In addition, the chapter sheds light on how enmeshment and appeasement are deployed to alleviate these fears and the extent to which they enable China to navigate challenging bilateral relations.

Viewing alternatives

Look up in Google Scholar

Metrics

Public Attention

Altmetrics from Altmetric

Number of Citations

Citations from Dimensions

Item Actions

Export

About

CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

Recommendations