Research On China's Public Diplomacy Strategy In The 21～(st) Century

The attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 and its responsesshocked the world. In the aftermath of "9·11", the debate of the Americanforeign policy and the outcome of U.S. public diplomacy strategy becomed thefocus of the world.Positive experiences are valuable and negative lessons are acute. Being arising power, China is facing the challenge of globalization andinformationization. Not only should China reflects the diplomatic patterncontaining positive factors, but also should embrace the brand-new diplomaticnotion into China's diplomatic system with an open-minded spirit at the requestof the development of history and the current needs. Under the guidance ofFive Principles of Peaceful Co-existence, China should deeply research theintension and characteristics of public diplomacy and put forward rationalpublic diplomacy strategy. We can promote the whole national diplomacythrough its operation. The paper is divided into three parts.Ⅰ. Rethinking Public DiplomacyActually, as a positive diplomatic style, public diplomacy has a longhistory. But formal and organized public diplomatic activities appeared inWorld WarⅠ. The importance of public diplomacy was put to the extremeduring Bush Administration's anti-terrorism war after the long term of WorldWar Ⅱand Cold War.Public diplomacy is a non-traditional diplomacy which starts withseeking the abundant and accurate definition of national interest throughdemocratization of diplomacy, regards the flow of information and ideas asthe core, and considers the public of the other nations as its subject. Publicdiplomacy is a connection of internal dimension and external dimension,neither is dispensable. from the external dimension, public diplomacyemphasizes the "target", namely diplomatic activities sponsored by agovernment regarding foreign publics as the target, it aims at establishing agood international image of this nation and influencing foreign publicopinion to mould an international political environment that avails theprogressing of its foreign policy and to promote other nations' outcomeswhich are favorable to itself, it falls into a category of foreign affairs. Fromthe internal dimension, public diplomacy emphasizes the "participation ofthe subject", namely the public's rights of knowing about and participatingin the formulating and implementing of a nation's foreign policy in anincreasingly democratic and open world. It aims at obtaining the public'sunderstanding and support of its foreign policy and the more abundant andaccurate expression of its national interest in the contacts with foreignnations, and strengthening the public's supervision and restriction of itsown foreign affairs and promoting the democratization of its diplomacy, itbelongs to domestic political category.Public diplomacy possesses the three characteristics. First, as for thesubject, the implementer of public diplomacy is undoubtedly a governmentof a nation. Since the birth of nation state, diplomacy has always beenofficial actions of a nation, diplomatic authority belongs to the centralgovernment and diplomacy refers to activities organized by the head of astate, leaders of government, foreign minister and full-time organizationsdealing with foreign affairs, it has a distinctive national nature. Being amodern diplomatic form, public diplomacy is naturally included. Second,as for the target, public diplomacy aims at publics of other nations, whichis the fundamental difference compared with the traditional diplomacy.Whereas public diplomacy is quite different, it involves an important fieldignored in traditional diplomacy, that is, it has developed a new field ofdiplomacy through the direct exchanges with foreign publics and putforward the realization of national interest in the process of understanding,guiding and influencing foreign publics. The internal dimension of publicdiplomacy is interaction between a government and its public, whichreflects the level of a nation's diplomatic democratization. Third, as for thecontent, public diplomacy is the combination of foreign cultural exchangesand internal subject's participation. From the external dimension, publicdiplomacy actually is a propaganda activity towards foreign nations withcultural exchanges as intermediary. Public diplomacy is greatly distinctfrom propaganda, but some overlapping parts do exist. Propaganda equateswith public diplomacy if it based on facts;whereas propaganda which ison the basis of false and cheating with a purpose of achieving a specificpolitical goal, do not belong to the category of public diplomacy. From theinternal dimension of public diplomacy, the interaction betweengovernment and its public involves the rights of knowing about andparticipating in the processes of the proposing of policy issue, the debatingof policy and finally issuing and the feeding back of policy implementation,etc..Ⅱ. Public Diplomacy and China's Grand Strategy of Peaceful RiseBeing the biggest developing country, China put forward the grandstrategy of "Peaceful Rise" which demonstrates its ability of grasp thegreat trend of world history and the rules of development of itself reacheda new level.How is the international opinion environment during China's peaceful rise?Nowadays, China is at a slow side in the struggle of international opinion.Concerning the capability of publicity, western media is dominant and Chinaleft far behind. Western countries monopolize main international media so as tocontrol the content and direction of flow of information. The reason of thisproblem lies in two points. First, US-led western countries dominate theinternational opinion structure based on the economic and scientific advantage.The development of globalization and informationization enlarged the gap ofconstructing the environment of international opinion between China andwestern countries. Second, the problem rooted in China's external publicitysystem largely constrains the level of competitive ability in internationalsociety. It will take a long and hard time to promote it.China's public diplomatic strategy is urgent to appear in accordance withits great significance on history, reality and perspective. First, the major streamof the international strategy and the three contemporary main trends —informationization, globalization and democratization — have put forward anew thorny challenge to China's development and diplomacy, China mustmake response. Second, as China participates in the systems of the world moreand more extensively and deeply, China is playing a more serious andconstructive role in the international community, with more internationalrepercussions, being paid more attention from abroad. Third, the extensive anddeep historical changes in contemporary China, and the transmutations ofeconomy, society and politics, have become another important factorexpediting the emergence of the public diplomatic strategy of China.The nature and interest of a country determines its foreign policy. FivePrinciples of Peaceful Co-existence is the guideline of China's foreign policies.Facing the brand-new diplomatic notion and pattern, we should chew carefullyand research deeply, and embrace it into China's foreign policy system underthe guidance of them so as to make greater construction to Chinese people andworld people's brilliant future!Ⅲ. Realistic Construction of China's Public Diplomacy StrategyBrand-new diplomatic concept calls on brand-new diplomatic practice.The construction of China's public diplomatic strategy is a systematic project,it needs to experience tests of diplomatic practice to incorporate the publicdiplomacy in China's overall diplomatic frame. Preliminary exploration of thisissue is carried out at two levels of China's public diplomacy — the conceptand the implementation. As for the thinking and Concept of China's publicdiplomatic strategy, the paper illustrates seven points: taking responsibilitybravely and gaining self-promotion from participation;explanation and defenseof policies;transmission of political culture and diplomatic concept;fullyutilization of the media;continuity and objectivity of information offering;principle of restraint and listening attentively;increasing of the Chinesediplomats' quality.Operation of the external dimension is an organic component of China'spublic diplomatic strategy, the key problem that it is going to solve is: thedifference between "how China knows herself" and "how the world knowsChina", and a series of issues implanted in the difference. From the level ofoperation, China's public diplomatic strategy should be divided into globallevel, regional level and national level, which should move forwardsequentially, and seeks high efficiency in the optimized array. We should attachgreat importance to NGOs at different levels as well as strengthen studies onthe public diplomacy strategy on powers with great influence in theinternational community.From the internal dimension of public diplomacy, China's publicdiplomacy, based on the spirit that "regarding public attention as the startingpoint of public diplomacy", transparency of China's diplomacy should bestrengthened, ways through which the public understands China's diplomacyshould be widened and more opportunities that the public has dialogues withprofessional diplomats should be offered;Chinese government should enhancecommunications and exchanges with various domestic NGOs;diplomaticdecision-making departments should enhance scholars' participation. It is alsoworthy of considering that establish specialized research agencies of publicdiplomacy in the comparatively qualified universities or scientific researchinstitutions, to carry out the professional research and provide suggestions forChina's public diplomacy in time;Offer professional courses of publicdiplomacy to majors of international relations and diplomacy, to lay solidcornerstone of public diplomacy and knowledge for the future diplomats.We should also know the constraints of public diplomacy itself whileacquire the importance and put forward strategy of it.The concept of public diplomacy and its implementation are in theprimary stage in China. Being a rising power, China will launch its publicdiplomatic strategy with a more positive, open and self-confident posture.From Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to peaceful rise, then to thepublic's diplomacy strategy, the development and diplomatic undertaking ofChina are sure to make brilliant achievements in the 21st century.