The trend as of late seems to be that American’s are scared of the rise of China as an economic force to be reckoned with. According to Esther Pan, “US and European soft-power efforts are focused on democracy promotion and encouraging good governance abroad, while China’s engagement involves lucrative trade and energy deals and produces tangible results like newly-built roads, hospitals and schools.” Like other countries that are isolated from full participation in the Western world, Cuba for example, China focuses its public diplomacy efforts on developing nations in an attempt to gain the hearts and minds of populations that not unlike themselves are struggling to gain a place of prominence in a Western dominated world. In Africa, China has implemented a variety of programs in an effort to create solidarity and gain soft power. According to CFR senior fellow for Africa policy studies, Princeton Lyman, this soft-power engagement in Africa includes the following:
-professing solidarity with Africa in international forums on trade and human rights issues
-forgiving more that $1 billion in debt from African countries
-training more than 100,000 Africans in Chinese universities and military institutions
-Sending more than 900 doctors to work across Africa; and
-making major investments in infrastructure, agriculture, and energy
Apparently China isn’t just talking about relationships, they are actively working to create them. By getting their hands dirty and providing the actual needs of the African people, they are much more likely to gain soft power and positive public opinion than let’s say, US initiatives focusing on democracy and regime change, etc. African leaders are beginning to intensify their relations with China, seeing that the country has been able to grow economically without changing its government. As China’s soft-power increases throughout the developing world however, the country still faces many internal issues that must be addressed before it can truly be seen as a player on the field for international domination.
Source: Esther Pan, “China’s Soft Power Initiative,” Council on Foreign Affairs. http://www.cfr.org/china/chinas-soft-power-initiative/p10715#p7
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