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Vision

The Peace Mission of Religious Public Diplomacy

Han Fangming · 1 ·

Peace is one of humanity's eternal pursuits; conflict, however, is a part of human destiny. In the course of pursuing peace, religion, as a major practical form of public diplomacy, has played an important role in averting conflicts between different civilizations. By upholding the ultimate goal of promoting mutual understanding and trust between different countries and peoples and world peace, the Charhar Institute has since its founding actively facilitated a religious peace movement focusing on exchanges between the Buddhists of China and South Korea. Serving as a typical example of public diplomacy, this has been an important element of the institute's activity, and achieved fruitful results. The integration of public diplomacy and religion has proved itself to be good for the peace effort sof humanity.

Special Report "Belt and Road" and Public Diplomacy

Mission of Silk Road Public Diplomacy

Wang Yiwei · 10 ·

The construction of "Belt and Road"requires accomplishment in five aspects,among which that of people-to-people exchanges embodies its principal mission.Silk Road public diplomacy consists of three targets. They are: the public diplomacy of the Silk Road, the public diplomacy of participating countries, and the public diplomacy of other countries. Promoting Silk Road culture, telling stories of the Silk Road and expounding the Silk Road spirit are defined as three intrinsic qualities of Silk Road public diplomacy. Its essence lies in exploring,disseminating and elaborating on Silk Road culture in the 21st century, and accomplishing the triumvirate of rejuvenation, inclusiveness, and innovation.

China's Silk Road Diplomacy: Derivation, Characteristics, and Influence

Ma Lirong · 16 ·

Silk Road diplomacy has generated far-reaching influence on China's diplomacy and successfully achieved isomorphic people-to-people and cultural diplomacy. The Silk Road strategy promotes the strategic significance of China's cultural diplomacy and endows it with strategic missions. Benign common promotion of the three isomorphic diplomacies will enhance partnership relationships rather than alliance relationships between China and other countries within the Silk Road cooperation framework, and highlight China's special and important role amid the international system's transition.

Perceptions of the "Belt and Road" Public Diplomacy Based on the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor

Sun Haiyan and Huang Rui · 21 ·

The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, a crucial part of the "Belt and Road" national strategy, has been launched in advance to guarantee its smooth implementation. Given the public diplomacy similarities of member states of the Corridor and of countries along the "Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road", this essay will explore the principal direction and focus of the "Belt and Road" public diplomacy by drawing on the experience,lessons, and salutary attempts of the Corridor public diplomacy.

New Silk Road Diplomacy: Promoting Salutary Multi-subject Interaction between China and Neighboring Countries

Zhong Xin and Kuang Xixi · 29 ·

After more than 2,000 years of historical evolution, the ancient Silk Road constitutes a deep-seated foundation on which to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It thus serves as an historical resource for promoting salutary interaction between China and its neighboring countries. More frequent interaction propelled by development of the New Silk Road, however, also implies more disputes, or even conflicts, which could baffle construction of the "Belt and Road". On the occasion of building the New Silk Road, therefore, it is necessary to conduct research on how best to promote salutary multi-subject interaction between China and neighboring countries and carry out New Silk Road public diplomacy.

Reflections on the "Going Global" Strategy of Chinese Enterprises in the Course of Building the “Belt and Road” and Implementation of Public Diplomacy

Xu Yongquan and Wang Xun · 37 ·

Chinese enterprises have conducted exemplary exploration of public diplomacy in efforts to fulfill social responsibilities abroad. Due to complex social opinions en route and the absence of coordinated planning of public diplomacy and overall design, however, that carried out by enterprises may have produced only half the results that may be expected in light of their strenuous efforts. In order to promote building the "Belt and Road", we need to give full play to the advantages of Chinese enterprises, invite multiple participants, consider local demands, and follow the principle of spending smartly and achieving quickly. We can thus highlight the public nature, practicality and flexibility of public diplomacy, and steadily seek out a promotable and duplicable public diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

Promoting China's NGO Participation in Building the "Belt and Road" Projects

Hu Hao and Wang Dong · 43 ·

In the course of actualizing the "Belt and Road" concept, China's NGOs,as cornerstone of public diplomacy, must commit themselves to serving as messengers of people-to-people friendship, creating favorable public opinion in countries along the route, and undertaking the important task of introducing China to and establishing friendships with participating countries, so as to build the "Belt and Road" into "a route winning the hearts of the people". Although Chinese NGOs have advantages in their important role of promoting "Belt and Road" public diplomacy, they also face problems and ineptitude. Implementation of "Belt and Road" public diplomacy requires enhanced coordination, cooperation, and planned deployment. They must adopt mature practices, draw on the advanced public diplomacy experience of other countries, prioritize the training of talented personnel in public diplomacy and civil diplomacy, and give full play to the advantages that border provinces and autonomous regions afford.

Commentary

International Army Cadet Week Delivers Information on "New-type Chinese Army"

Qian Lihua · 50 ·

International Army Cadet Week serves as a useful platform for exchanges and interaction. Five sessions of the International Army Cadet Week held by the PLA University of Science and Technology drew wide attention and evoked universal response both within and outside the military, at home and abroad. China's military academies have an excellent tradition and offer particular advantages for a better, stronger, and brighter future. Meanwhile, they will continue to mutually interact with and learn advanced experience from foreign military schools, develop their advantages, and improve themselves in efforts to build a diversified, open and integrated international cooperation channel.

Characteristics and Trends of Myanmar's Current Attitude towards China

Song Qingrun · 54 ·

Myanmar's accelerated democratic transition since the Thein Sein administration took office in March 2011 has driven diversification of Myanmar society and complicated attitudes towards China on major themes. In particular, nongovernmental negative attitudes towards China that have rapidly become apparent are adversely affecting the China-Myanmar relationship. The two sides are now strengthening guidance and interaction in hopes of change non-governmental negative attitudes towards China. It will require, however, a long time span before Myanmar's society forms an unbiased attitude towards China.

Promoting Unbiased Mutual Understanding among Chinese and Japanese Peoples

Jiang Feng and Zhu Hong · 61 ·

As neighboring countries, the complicated and changing relationship between China and Japan is at its coolest since the normalization of bilateral relations in 1972. Promoting unbiased mutual understanding, disseminating correct information, elaborating China's foreign policy, and eliminating barriers that hamper mutual understanding are the only ways of alleviating the tensionof the Sino-Japanese relationship.

The British Council and UK's Cultural Diplomacy

Ji Lili · 67 ·

Based on the principle of checks and balances, the British Council is an organization relatively independent of the UK government. In practice, however, it retains close cooperation with the government, playing an important role in UK's diplomacy. Based on the rich cultural resources of the UK, the British Council disseminates UK culture through language education, receiving overseas students,exporting English books and data, and cultural and arts exchanges, broadening the understanding of and deepening the respect of elites and young people throughout the world for the culture of the UK.

Interview

Parliamentary Diplomacy of the Republic of Korea and Local Diplomacy

– Interview with Nam Kyung Pil, Governor of Gyeonggi Province of ROK

Ke Yinbin · 74 ·

In recent years, China and ROK have enjoyed a very positive relationship. Astrong momentum has been maintained, with considerable progress being made in inter-governmental and people-to-people exchanges. The development of such a friendly relationship partly relies on the efforts of ROK's China experts. As a prominent such authority, Governor Nam Kyung Pil of Gyeonggi Province not only contributes distinctive ideas in municipal diplomacy, but with a 20-year career as a parliamentarian also offers a wealth of experience in parliamentary diplomacy. Public Diplomacy Quarterly interviewed Governor Nam Kyung-pil,keen to learn from his experience so as to benefit the research and practice of China's public diplomacy.

Charhar Roundtable Meeting

Diplomacy of Chinese Enterprises: Status quo and Suggestions

Zhao Kejin, Yu Wanli, ZhongXin, KeYinbin and Shaun Riordan · 78 ·

As Chinese enterprises continue to "go global," enterprise diplomacy has become an important means of guaranteeing enterprise profits and national interests. On July 5 2014, 20 scholars from China, the UK, the Netherlands, and Australia,and executives of a number of transnational enterprises gathered in Beijing for discussions on the Theories and Practice of Enterprise Diplomacy at a roundtable conference sponsored by the Charhar Institute. This article, based on the conference shorthand records, selects the opinions of some of the attendants for readers' reference.

Case Studies

A Promising Future for Public Diplomacy in Yangzhou

Yu Jin · 84 ·

General Secretary Xi Jinping said in his speech at the International Friendship Conference and commemorative activities on the 60th Anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries that public diplomacy should be given high priority. His speech highlights the importance of and raises higher requirements for the development of public diplomacy. Based on the practice of public diplomacy in Yangzhou, the essay analyzes its obvious problems and discusses how to innovate ideas, improve institutions, and enhance the efficiency of international exchanges, and deepen public diplomacy throughout the country.

Nanjing People should Tell Nanjing's Stories Properly to Foreigners

Miao Helin · 91 ·

Public diplomacy is a new field. It should be avoided of any so-called "experience" and "norms". It must be innovative and with the exploration spirit, it must be open and tolerant, it must be different from traditional diplomatic thinking. The essence of public diplomacy is to tell one's own stories to others. Nanjing's public diplomacy is essentially to tell the story of Nanjing to foreigners. The key in telling the stories lies in making advantage of local resources in a right way so as to make others understand and be interested in Nanjing’s stories.

Practice and Thoughts on Public Diplomacy in Foshan City

Yang Xiaoguang and Ma Liangzhao · 98 ·

Foshan, situated at the heart of China's Pearl River Delta, has witnessed diversified and frequent overseas exchanges and cooperation thanks to its profound historical and cultural resources, intensive international exchanges, and as home to many overseas Chinese. In the new era, to promote local economic growth and municipal upgrading and enhance its popularity and reputation, Foshan needs to further orient the development of public diplomacy, integrate resources relative to foreign affairs, build brand activities in public diplomacy with local characteristics, and actively carry out friendly exchanges and cooperation with advanced countries.

Diplomatic History

A Japanese Monk's Love for China

Zhao Xinli · 106 ·

Although China and Japan have experienced an unstable bilateral relationship in recent years, people-to-people exchanges have never been interrupted. Nongovernmental exchanges are to be highlighted and deserve attention during a tough period of official diplomacy. Formerly a wealthy jewelry merchant, Yasutaka Kojima somehow became converted to a monk upon first setting foot in Xinjiang.Over the past 30 years and more, he has expended energy and made considerable financial contributions to Xinjiang's prosperity. The People's Daily has dubbed him the "contemporary Abe no Nakamaro". As an old friend of China and Xinjiang,Kojima has actively publicized Xinjiang in Japan. His experience has culminated in an excellent individual history of public diplomacy that highlights public diplomacy in practice.

Book Review

Focus on China's Diplomacy and Soft Power

– On Foreign Publicity History of New China

Zhang Weiwei · 112 ·

As of the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic China, Yao Yao, PhD, director of the Research Department of China Public Diplomacy Association, published his Foreign Publicity History of New China: Building the International Discourse Rights of a Modern China(Tsinghua University Press, 2014). As a student of China's former foreign minister Li Zhaoxing and of celebrated Harvard professor Joseph Nye, Yao integrates the different viewpoints of his two tutors in his research. On one hand, like the prologue by Li Zhaoxing, the book sticks to New China's diplomatic conception of "Long Live the Chinese People and Putting People First"; on the other, the book integrates Joseph Nye's soft power theory with China's practice to elaborate on China's soft power in a meaningful way.

Overseas Contributions

The "Silk Road Economic Belt" Strategy: Actualizing President Xi Jinping's Foreign Policy

Robert Lawrence Kuhn · 117 ·

China's strategy of building the Silk Road Economic Belt articulates well with China's overarching foreign policy – in fact, it actualizes President Xi Jinping's innovative foreign policy. The author proposes an organizing principle to analyze the Silk Road Economic Belt in terms of China's broad foreign policy objectives by comparing and integrating President Xi's two seminal speeches – one on his proposal for a Silk Road Economic Belt and one on his political philosophy as it informs China's foreign policy.