ABSTRACTS

Viewpoints

Does the World Need a New Kissinger? Han Fangming •1•

Dr. Kissinger is gone. He is a century-old legend, and also the planner, participant and witness of many historical events. In his life, he left a shadow and projected ideas in many regions of the world, but the most profound and splendid brush and the best reflection of his personal influence are undoubtedly found in his special role in the history of China-US relations. An old and good friend of the Chinese people, this is probably the most outstanding, uncontroversial, objective and fair evaluation of Kissinger’s life. His passing away at the age of 100 is a fulfillment, which also brings a question to us: Does the world need a new Kissinger? Exclusive Interview How to Promote a Sounder Development of China’s Public Diplomacy? Zhang Yunling & Yu Wanying•4• On July 12, 2023, Dr. Yu Wanying conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Zhang Yunling, Dean of the Institute of International Studies of Shandong University, inviting him to talk about his understanding of public diplomacy and give his insights on how to promote China’s public diplomacy to develop better in the new era. Dean Zhang is a senior fellow, academic councilor and well-known expert on international issues of CASS, member of the 10th, 11th and 12th CPPCC National Committee and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Dean Zhang has long been engaged in the research of international issues and is a practitioner of public diplomacy. In his view, the world today is amid a wave of drastic changes, and the changes of the world, times and history have brought new challenges to China’s diplomacy. In the past few years, public diplomacy, as an important component of China’s diplomacy, has played a major role in serving the overall layout of China’s diplomacy and advancing the process of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in an all-round way. With the accelerated evolution of the drastic changes unseen in a century, intensifying competition between China and the United States, and the beginning of the post-pandemic era, a more complex international environment has brought new opportunities and challenges to China’s public diplomacy. In the future, China’s public diplomacy still has a long and hard way to go in speeding up the construction of Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system, and improving China’s international communication effectiveness.

Special Topic: Global Economic Governanceand Public DiplomacySpecial Topic: Global Economic Governanceand Public Diplomacy

The Foundation and focus for Promoting the Development of the China-Europe Railway Express through Public Diplomacy Ma Bin •13•

In the course of its development, the China-Europe Railway Express has met with various challenges and obstacles wrought by negative cognition. The international community’s negative perception of the China-Europe Railway Express has existed for a long time and has been changing with the development of the Belt and Road cooperation and the adjustment of the international situation. This reality has given rise to the realistic demand for public diplomacy to ensure the healthy development of the China-Europe Railway Express. The practice of public diplomacy centering on the China-Europe Railway Express can play a positive role in eliminating the wrong perceptions of the railway express, building a positive image and promoting development consensus. As the main participants in the public diplomacy over the China-Europe Railway Express, the Chinese government, enterprises, think tanks and media need to define their roles based on their respective advantages and form a positive interactive relationship.

Chinese Multilateralism: From the AIIB’s Perspective Gu Bin •21•

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress pointed out, “China actively participates in the reform and development of the global governance system, practices the concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in global governance, and adheres to genuine multilateralism. ” The multilateralism advocated by China can be called “Chinese multilateralism”, the essence of which is to give more considerations to the actual situation, differentiated needs and limited capabilities of developing countries in the multilateral cooperation mechanism. In the wake of the 2008 international financial crisis, new multilateral mechanisms have been put forward, led by Chinese initiatives, particularly seen in the Belt and Road Initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the BRICS New Development Bank, and the Multilateral Development Financing Cooperation Center, which have been launched since 2013. The successful establishment of the AIIB, the best representative of Chinese multilateralism, reflects China’s approach to participate in the reform and development of global governance.

A Comparative Analysis of China and the United States Aligning with ASEAN’s Youth Digital Development Strategy Yang Tirong •30•

Youth make up a high proportion of ASEAN’s population, who will have an important impact on the future development of ASEAN. The digital development needs of ASEAN youth in the fields of economy, science and technology, education and social governance provide an important leverage for non-regional actors to promote strategic alignment in the region. Since 2021, China and the United States have been trying to align with ASEAN’s youth digital development strategy through multi-tiered and multi-dimensional approaches. By comparing the characteristics of the relevant strategies of the two countries in terms of overall design, key areas, promotion methods, iteration mechanisms, etc. , this paper enables us to better understand the opportunities and challenges facing China in aligning with ASEAN’s youth digital development strategy, and put forward relevant countermeasures.

The SCO and China’s Silk Road Public Diplomacy Li Hua & Zhang Xinke •39•

As an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Silk Road Economic Belt is a major strategic deployment of China to expand its “westward opening” and practice major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics under the new circumstances. This grand strategy provides new opportunities for the SCO, an important international organization platform of China, to carry out public diplomacy, elevate its national image, enhance its international voice, and strengthen its national “soft power”.

Theoretical Research

The Theoretical Value of Public Diplomacy in International Relations Zhou Xinyu & Zhou Jiaying •48•

This paper intends to initially discuss an issue that is rarely touched by the academic circle, that is, the theoretical value of studying public diplomacy to the discipline of international relations. Generally speaking, public diplomacy is considered a kind of diplomatic practice. In the study and teaching of international relations, the interpretive framework of international political theories is mainly used, which is represented by the “ three theoretical schools” of realism, liberalism and constructivism. However, both the practice of public diplomacy and the development of the reality of international relations are increasingly unable to be fully explained by classical international political theories. Since the end of the 20th century, the theoretical innovation in international relations has gradually declined, and major issues in international relations, particularly new issues beyond traditional international security, economic and trade issues that non-state actors are deeply involved in, call for new theoretical explanations. The study of public diplomacy naturally focuses on non-state actors and transnational political behaviors, which is enlightening for the development of international relation theories.

Japan’s Maritime Public Diplomacy: Origin, Method and Effect Wang Xu & Xu Yongzhi •58•

Japan’s public diplomacy began with cultural promotion, whose major goal was to cultivate a favorable impression of the people of the target countries on Japan. Since the second decade of the 21st century, maritime public diplomacy has gradually become an important part of Japan’s public diplomacy, while Japan’s public diplomacy has evolved from cultural public diplomacy to strategic public diplomacy. The public diplomacy centering on maritime territorial sovereignty and disputes over interests and rights is the main content of Japan’s maritime public diplomacy, the purpose of which is mainly to publicize Japan’s foreign policy propositions and serve its geo-competition. Japan’s maritime public diplomacy has taken multiple measures simultaneously, which has certain negative impacts on China. This is worth noting and calls for strengthened research and response.

Comments

The Negative Public Opinion Generated over the Issue of Transnational Telecom Cybercrime in Southeast Asia and Countermeasures Bao Zhipeng & Yuan Yue •67•

At present, the issue of transnational telecom cybercrime has risen to the core issue of non-traditional security cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries. While this issue has triggered heated public debate, voices demonizing Southeast Asia have begun to appear in we-media, and some negative public opinions against Southeast Asia have also emerged in China’s domestic society. The negative remarks are the result of the social psychological interaction between the people of China and Southeast Asian countries, and are also closely related to the field and context in which pubic opinions are generated and fermented. The high level of concern among the Chinese people over the transnational telecom cybercrimes contrasts sharply with the sense of alienation among people in some Southeast Asian countries. Maintaining the high-pressure crackdown on transnational telecom cybercrimes and strengthening law enforcement cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries are fundamental to resolving the problem of negative public opinion. At the same time, it is imperative to strengthen the control of we-media, increase efforts to prevent the dissemination of false information about telecom cybercrimes, and crack down on illegal acts that disturb public opinion.

A Rebuttal to the “Chinese Debt Trap Theory” Concocted by the West in Pakistan Liu Yajing •75•

The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road has been profound and fruitful. In the face of China’s rising influence, the United States and other Western countries have taken repressive and destructive measures, especially concocted the “Chinese debt trap” theory in the countries jointly building the Belt and Road with China, which has a negative impact on relevant countries. The reason why the West has been able to hype the above argument in Pakistan for a long time is mainly the anxiety of some countries about the rise of China, coupled with India’s concern of the geopolitical balance and Pakistan’s unease about cooperation with China due to its own weakness. At the same time, the Western discourse ignores the diversified debt sources and the economic structure of Pakistan, and only one-sidedly emphasizes the problem of high debt, creating a series of wrong perceptions about Chinese investment in Pakistan. In recent years, with the deepening of China-Pakistan cooperation, people from all walks of life in Pakistan have praised the mutual beneficial cooperation between China and Pakistan from the perspective of witnesses, thus effectively refuting the “Chinese debt trap theory”.

Practice of Public Diplomacy

The Game of Public Diplomacy between Britain and Germany over the “Lusitania” Incident Yang Jianguo •84•

During World War I in 1915, a German submarine sank the British liner Lusitania. After the incident, Britain and Germany launched a fierce battle of public opinion in the field of public diplomacy, mainly around the following three key issues for tit-for-tat attacks and counterattacks: was the Lusitania strictly a large luxury passenger ship, or an armed transport ship associated with the British Navy? Was the sinking of the cruise ship a serious man-made humanitarian disaster, or was it an important sign that the Germans were able to break the British naval blockade? Should the Lusitania incident be publicized as a negative or a positive example for recruiting soldiers, winning hearts and minds, and winning international sympathy? At least in the mainstream international public opinion, the United States finally chose to stand on the side of Britain and become the opposite of Germany, offering a good reason and excuse for the United States to join the Entente Powers and formally participate in the European war against the Central Powers. Britain was naturally the biggest winner of this public diplomacy, and Germany was badly damaged.

“Localization ” of International Communication under the Belt and Road Initiative: Empowering Public Diplomacy Practice Xie Jing •93•

The concept of “localization” in international communication refers to the need for national subjects with different cultures to formulate targeted and culturebased ( on the host country ) external communication strategies in foreign exchanges, so as to enhance their public diplomacy capability, win over the hearts and minds of the people of the target countries and obtain good empathic communication effects. In the context of the Belt and Road Initiative, “localization” of international communication, as a major strategy and wisdom of China’s public diplomacy, plays a very important role in achieving good empathic communication effects in China’s exchanges with other countries. International communication for the purpose of maintaining national image can improve the practical ability of public diplomacy of a country, while public diplomacy is able to provide more experience and channels for international communication. The main ways to do a good job in “localization” of international communication include: the integration of actors with international communication subjects and media; at the same time, attention should be paid to the communication strategies towards neighboring countries; and the use of diversified communication channels for audiences at different levels.

Overseas Chinese and Public Diplomacy in the Context of the Evolution of the New International Landscape Yan Xiaopeng & Zhang Yi •101•

Since 2020, major international events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have occurred frequently, and the international landscape, regional situation and the balance of power among countries have undergone multiple changes, with populism and nationalism gaining popularity and anti-globalization calls on the rise. By analyzing the opportunities, roles and challenges of overseas Chinese in the field of public diplomacy in the context of the evolution of the new international landscape, this paper proposes that overseas Chinese can make use of their own advantages to become promoters of friendly relations, coordinators of reciprocal cooperation and drivers of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. The Topic Discussed

Public Diplomacy in China 2023: Innovation and Practice Wang Lina, Wen Jing, Li Bolun & Tan Meng •110•

Since early 2023, with the increase of personnel exchanges between China and other countries, China has carried out extensive public diplomacy practices. The foreign exchange activities of various types of entities, such as government and private organizations, have increased significantly, and many new development trends have emerged. In order to sort out and summarize China’s public diplomacy practice in 2023, the editorial office of Public Diplomacy Quarterly invites young scholars active in the field of public diplomacy practice and research to analyze their respective areas of concern, and integrate their views into a summary of China’s public diplomacy in 2023 for readers’ satisfaction.

Book Review

Public Opinion: the Fourth Power that Influences Diplomatic Decision-making of a Country—A Book Review of Public Opinion and Twentieth-Century Diplomacy: A Global Perspective Hu Dayi •119•

For a long time, scholars have debated the influence of public opinion on foreign policy and its mechanism, and a deep understanding of this issue is of great significance to how to carry out public diplomacy under the new type of international relations. The publication of Public Opinion and Twentieth Century Diplomacy: A Global Perspective, written by British Scholar Daniel Hucker and translated by Zhang Shunsheng and Zhou Jianjun, is timely. Based on a historical perspective and using time series as narrative clues, the book describes five major historical events in the 20th century, profoundly analyzing multiple concepts of public opinion and its expression mechanism, depicting the reaction degree of decision-making elites in different countries to public opinion, and demonstrating the role and effectiveness of public opinion as the fourth power. This book not only shows the promoting and hindering effects of public opinion on policy making, but also reflects the positive and negative effects of public opinion on the outcome of decision making. At the same time, it reveals how the media plays a key role between the public and the decision makers, which helps us to understand the mechanism and effectiveness of public opinion on foreign policy.