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How China attempts to shape its global image, navigate complex narratives, and avoid the risk of war
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Effective communication plays a pivotal role in shaping perceptions and fostering understanding, especially between countries that might otherwise misperceive each other’s intentions. Zichen Wang, research fellow and director for international communications at the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), shed light on the efforts by the non-governmental part of China to enhance its external image and promote dialogue with the West.
Zichen's approach, particularly through his English-language newsletters “Pekingnology” and “The East is Read”, contributes to diverse perspectives on China for a global audience; these platforms showcase critical discussions from within China that are underreported by legacy media in both China and abroad. Zichen clarified that his unique newsletters are not part of a state-run campaign. He also facilitates offline engagements between Chinese and foreign stakeholders on policy issues.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) intentionally utilizes communication strategies to improve its image, especially in developed countries. "China's favorability rating is still quite high in Africa, but not so much in the developed part of the world," Zichen noted, underscoring the emphasis that China places on alleviating this disparity.
Addressing misperceptions about China, Zichen challenged the notion of China's expansionism, emphasizing that China is internally focused and its external actions primarily serve to reinforce domestic economic development and stability as well as make its citizens proud.
He pointed to the historical context of the fact that "the Communist Party of the China-led PRC inherited a lot of claims from the Republic of China, such as in the South China Sea". According to Zichen, these historical claims to territory "exist not because China wants to invade Taiwan or invade the Philippines" now that China is stronger, but rather because of its history. In terms of sovereignty and territorial integrity, Zichen said, it’s almost impossible for a government "facing a domestic audience to take a step back [and] to retreat from the former government's wishes".
"It's not that China now, with the second largest economy in the world and a growing military, wants to take something that it didn't claim in the past 20 or 30 years. That's not the case and I think the way to resolve these disputes is through dialogue and diplomacy rather than military means," he elaborated.
"Even if hawks in the West would like to ‘get tough’ on China, they would benefit from basing their stances on facts, not fiction,” said Zichen.
Zichen urges for a shift away from sensationalized war rhetoric that normalizes the prospect of conflict. "When it comes to China-related discussions, especially when we talk about the situation across the Taiwan Strait, the word 'war' is used too often these days,” he cautioned. Similarly, when it comes to China-US relations, Zichen does not “see a realistic scenario of war between China and the US, and the more we talk about or normalize it, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That's something we should definitely avoid."
"We can't afford to have wars, either in the United States, China, or Europe," Zichen asserted, advocating instead for a focus on cooperative solutions to global challenges. In a world characterized by complexity and miscalculations, Zichen's insights underscore the importance of nuanced communication and dialogue in fostering mutual understanding between China and the West.
Zichen Wang is a research fellow and director for international communications at the Center for China and Globalization, a leading non-governmental think tank in China. He manages three English languages, including the well-known Pekingnology, which aims to bring China content otherwise unavailable in English to a global audience. Before joining CCG in October 2022, he worked as a journalist, in both China and Europe, for over 11 years at Xinhua News Agency, China's state news agency.
Zichen attended the Salzburg Global Pathways to Peace Initiative titled “Crossing New Rivers by Feeling the Stones? Aspirations, Expectations, and China's Role in the 21st Century” from February 18 to 21, 2024. This program was a forward-looking opportunity to debate and understand the future of global engagement with a rising China. It convened an intergenerational, international, and interdisciplinary group from government, the private sector, and civil society to engage in off-the-record conversations to evaluate sources of misunderstanding between China and the globe, to explore state and non-state mechanisms through which to productively engage China, and to identify risk-mitigating pathways.