Study On China's Soft Power To Africa

Since Joseph Nye proposed the theory of soft power, the soft power theory has become a mature theory in the field of international politics after its ten-year's development. Soft power with the core of culture, the sense of value and international institutions is an increasing point to struggle for in the international politics field. Especially after 9.11, all the countries all over the world begin to regard the development of their own soft power as a powerful weapon in international competitions. Since our reform and opening-up, economic strength increased substantially. The GDP expanded by an annual average of over 9% during the thirty years of reform and opening-up. The thirty years witnessed that China has become an economic giant and one of engines to propel the world economic development. With the increase of China economic strength, notable improvement has also been achieved in the fields of politics and science and technology. The Chinese achievements over the decade are known to the world. However, when the comprehensive power of China is rising rapidly, it also suffers from an ulterior suppression from several western countries. Out of historical experience of western countries' rising, they thought that the rising of a country would lead to war. Under the guidelines of the thinking, western countries continuously spread arguments, such as "China Threat" and "China Collapse" theories, to vilify and attack China, to keep down the rising of China from aspects of politics, economy, culture, foreign affairs and so on.China's behaviors in Africa are also slandered as "resource pillage", "new colonialism" by some western countries. The relationship between China and Africa is friendly from generation to generation. In particular, after the establishment of the People's Republic of China, China and Africa has made a deep friendship in the struggle of anti-imperialism, and anti-colonialism and anti-hegemonism. After the cold war, China and Africa are trading with each other frequently and the total of trade double annually. In the meantime, the exchanges in the field of politics and culture are increasingly intimate. After entering the new century, the development of China and Africa relationship has stepped forward a new stage under the frame of the forum of China-Africa cooperation. The successful summit of China and Africa in the year 2006 has eloquently proved that the friendship of China and Africa is solidified by time and remaining evergreen. However, with the development of relationship between China and Africa, some views unfavorable to the China-Africa relation are emerging, such as arguments that China put forward "new-colonialism" and plunder African resources. And some African countries are deceived by the absurd theories. Undoubtedly, it does great damage to the development of China-Africa relationship. How is the morass undone to show to the African and the world that China's behaviors in Africa are not "Neo-colonialism" slandered by several western countries, but to enhance the development and advancement of Africa. The soft power theory provided by Joseph Nye in the nineties of the last century, is a good measure to solve the problem but Nye's soft power theory is based on the thought of hegemonism with obvious aggression and expansion, aiming to gain global hegemony. The aim of soft power of China is essentially different from that of America. The practice of soft power by China is to eliminate the misunderstandings and slanders of western countries in order to gain the world's acceptance during the course of China's rising. Therefore, China first needs to set up a new theoretical model of soft power that is different from that of Joseph Nye. According to the paper, Chinese soft power model should include China: the definition of soft power, the sources of soft power and the realization of soft power. This paper elaborates the strategy of China's soft power to Africa under the model of China's soft power.