Chinese President Xi Jinping visited California last November. made a careless remark At the end of the first day with President Biden: China's pandas may soon return to American zoos.
This statement was simultaneously covered by all major U.S. news outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Fox, and all major television networks. echoed Last Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this.
Since President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972, pandas have I have acted It played a role in U.S.-China relations, first as an outright gift and then as a leased asset for the Chinese government from the mid-1980s onwards. Currently, countries accepting pandas from China pay $1 million per year per panda for the privilege, with the additional condition that panda cubs born in captivity are the property of the Chinese government. ing.
Since then, China has used its charismatic national animal to create friendships among dozens of countries.According to some estimates, panda diplomacy sent $300 million to Beijing In the last 30 years. It is understandable to wonder whether China's panda policy is cultural diplomacy or simply foreign policy. Continuing concerns.
The headlines on the day of Xi's remarks may have been about other, more pressing issues. Tensions over Taiwan rise, intellectual property theft, unauthorized surveillance Internationally, South China Sea crisis, Strengthen controls on technology exports There is bad blood flowing from America or Closeness between China and Russia.
But on the day Xi spoke, pandas made headlines. This is the power of cultural symbols.
Panda diplomacy is just one plank of China's cultural diplomacy platform, and has been a top priority for Mr. Xi since before he took office. Over the past decade, President Xi has put the power of the Chinese state behind a coordinated soft power program.
While foreign aid from China still dwarfs aid from the United States and China's regional rival Japan, the difference is perhaps even greater in the area of cultural diplomacy. Closing this gap is an easy and economical way for the U.S. government to maintain at least equal standing with the Chinese government around the world.
As of 2018, China spend $10 billion each year To increase soft power. Some of that money went toward funding 500 “Confucius Institutes” around the world, where college students not only learn Mandarin, but also the fundamentals of Chinese culture. Meanwhile, 104 out of 118 Confucius Institutes Although the existing facilities in the United States have closed in the past three years, there is no reason to think that the remaining 400 or so locations are still not operational.
Chinese One Belt One Road Initiative In Beijing, it is seen as a big bet on soft power. Chinese-funded port deals and infrastructure projects are being enhanced by economic agreements, academic exchanges, and cultural initiatives aimed at linking the economies and societies of the Global South more closely with Beijing.
The expansion of China's state media programs has the same purpose. As of 2021, the official news agency of the Chinese government, Xinhua News Agency, states: Operating in 181 countries In the world.newspaper China Daily is distributed to major cities in 150 countries. Walking through New York's Times Square, you can't miss the Xinhua News Agency sign. But the real influence of Chinese state media may lie in the Global South, primarily in so-called middle-income countries located in Africa and Latin America. In these countries, Views of both China and the United States are positive. Compare this to high-income European countries, where views toward China are overwhelmingly negative.
There is a perception war to be won in the Global South, and the United States is already doing much to win it. The aid package from Washington remains strong and far superior to what Beijing is offering, but U.S. political developments could jeopardize that advantage. Republican-led efforts to cut aid to Ukraine and Israel It's some kind of sign.
Around the world, and in Japan as well, young people are more likely than older people to have a positive view of China's government, technology, and culture. And in some African countries where we have data, a majority of people believe that Chinese culture is above average or the best in the world. The days when the United States could enjoy soft power advantages from Hollywood, pop music, and the fast food of developing countries are long gone.
The United States needs to invest more strongly in its global cultural diplomacy strategy for the future. In this area, as in foreign aid, we have a foundation to build on. But what we do today is largely a relic of the Cold War.
our embassy art program started 60 years ago. The international efforts of touring arts companies like American Ballet Theater can be traced back to the Eisenhower administration. The loose network of foundations, collectors, artists, philanthropists, and NGOs that keep these and similar programs alive should be celebrated and supported.
But in what some call a new phase, great power competitionand in that democracy is under threat In many regions, we need to step up our cultural diplomacy efforts. We need to find ways to coordinate our influence outside of the traditional sites of high culture: the stage, museums, and even movie theaters. Japan and its European counterparts have state-funded institutions to spread the country's culture abroad.
As a pluralistic society, we have long struggled to agree on what constitutes “American culture” worthy of state-sponsored export. However, this seeming disadvantage can become a strength if accepted.take hip hop diplomacy, a loose collection of embassy programs that have provided state support behind hip-hop around the world for years. Hip-hop is an art form that can only come from a vast mixed democracy like ours. To foster it is to foster the strength and vitality that comes from our democratic tradition. Similar programs, whatever they look like, are the way forward.
Simply adapting tactics to a monocultural rival is a recipe for failure. But unless we strive to find new and innovative avenues for cultural diplomacy, the world's attitudes will be swayed by other countries that do.
Fred P. Hochberg, who served as chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States under President Obama from 2009 to 2017, is the author of “T.”Rade is not a four-letter word: How six everyday items provide a basis for trade, published by Simon & Schuster. He currently serves as president of the Meridian International Center, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC.
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