Chinese Public Diplomacy This book presents the first comprehensive analysis of Confucius Institutes (CIs), situating them as a tool of public diplomacy in the broader context of China’s foreign affairs. The study establishes the concept of public diplomacy as the theoretical framework for analysing CIs. By applying this frame to in- depth case studies of CIs in Europe and Oceania, it provides in-depth knowledge of the structure and organisation of CIs, their activities and audiences, as well as problems, chal- lenges and potentials. In addition to examining CIs as the most prominent and most controversial tool of China’s charm offensive, this book also explains what the structural configuration of these Institutes can tell us about China’s under- standing of and approaches towards public diplomacy. The study demonstrates that, in contrast to their international counterparts, CIs are normally organised as joint ventures between international and Chinese partners in the field of educa- tion or cultural exchange. From this unique setting a more fundamental observa- tion can be made, namely China’s willingness to engage and cooperate with foreigners in the context of public diplomacy. Overall, the author argues that by utilising the current global fascination with Chinese language and culture, the Chinese government has found interested and willing international partners to co- finance the CIs and thus partially fund China’s international charm offensive. This book will be of much interest to students of public diplomacy, Chinese politics, foreign policy and international relations in general. Falk Hartig is a post-doctoral researcher at Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, and has a PhD in Media & Communication from Queensland Univer- sity of Technology, Australia. Routledge New Diplomacy Studies Series Editors: Corneliu Bjola University of Oxford and Markus Kornprobst Diplomatic Academy of Vienna This new series publishes theoretically challenging and empirically authoritative studies of the traditions, functions, paradigms and institutions of modern diplo- macy. Taking a comparative approach, the New Diplomacy Studies series aims to advance research on international diplomacy, publishing innovative accounts of how ‘old’ and ‘new’ diplomats help steer international conduct between anarchy and hegemony, handle demands for international stability vs international justice, facilitate transitions between international orders, and address global governance challenges. Dedicated to the exchange of different scholarly perspectives, the series aims to be a forum for inter- paradigm and inter- disciplinary debates, and an opportunity for dialogue between scholars and practitioners. New Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century A comparative study of policy and practice James Pamment Global Cities, Governance and Diplomacy The urban link Michele Acuto Iran’s Nuclear Diplomacy Power politics and conflict resolution Bernd Kaussler Transatlantic Relations and Modern Diplomacy An interdisciplinary examination Edited by Sudeshna Roy, Dana Cooper and Brian Murphy Dismantling the Iraqi Nuclear Programme The inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency, 1991–1998 Gudrun Harrer International Law, New Diplomacy and Counter- Terrorism An interdisciplinary study of legitimacy Steven J. Barela Theory and Practice of Paradiplomacy Subnational governments in international affairs Alexander S. Kuznetsov Digital Diplomacy Theory and practice Edited by Corneliu Bjola and Marcus Holmes Chinese Public Diplomacy The rise of the Confucius Institute Falk Hartig Diplomacy and Security Community- Building EU crisis management in the Western Mediterranean Niklas Bremberg This page intentionally left blank Chinese Public Diplomacy The rise of the Confucius Institute Falk Hartig First published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Falk Hartig The right of Falk Hartig to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data Hartig, Falk. Chinese public diplomacy: the rise of the Confucius Institute / Falk Hartig. pages cm. – (Routledge new diplomacy studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. International relations and culture–China. 2. Cultural diplomacy– China. 3. Public relations and politics–China. 4. Kongzi xue yuan. 5. China–Relations. I. Title. JZ1730.H37 2016 327.51–dc23 2015011553 ISBN: 978-1-138-80930-7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-75008-8 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear Contents Acknowledgements viii List of abbreviations ix 1 Introduction 1 2 China on the global stage: foreign policy implications and image considerations 16 3 How states communicate: public diplomacy and related concepts 33 4 Public diplomacy in China 57 5 China’s public diplomacy at work: major actors and main programmes 84 6 Confucius Institutes: the star of China’s public diplomacy 98 7 Confucius Institutes in Australia 118 8 Confucius Institutes in Germany 139 9 Confucius Institutes: the real vs. the correct China 165 Appendix 194 Index 196 Acknowledgements This work draws and cites from the author’s following publications: ‘Confucius Institutes and the rise of China’, Journal of Chinese Political Science 17(1) (2012); ‘Cultural diplomacy with Chinese characteristics: The case of Confucius Institutes in Australia’, Communication, Politics & Culture 45 (2012); ‘New public diplomacy meets old public diplomacy – the case of China’, New Global Studies 8(3) (2014); and ‘Communicating China to the world: Confucius Insti- tutes and China’s strategic narratives’, Politics (2015). This book has grown out of my long- time interest in public and cultural diplo- macy, and in particular in Confucius Institutes since 2007. It is based on my PhD thesis and it would have been impossible to complete this project without the enormous help, support and encouragement that I have received from many indi- viduals over the last few years. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to my super- visors, Professor Terry Flew (Queensland University of Technology, Bris- bane), Professor Michael Keane (Curtin University, Perth) and Dr Mark Ryan (Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane). Special thanks also to Dis- tinguished Professor John Hartley (Curtin University, Perth) who was a valued supervisor in the early stages of this project. Their critical queries have com- pelled me through this project and I cherished their suggestions although, admittedly, I did not always take them on board. My thinking on this topic has also benefited from my work experience at the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations in Berlin and a revealing time as a visiting journalist at Xinhua News Agency in Beijing. I am furthermore indebted to many colleagues with whom I worked and con- versed during the period of research and write up of this book: Michael Barr, Clemens Büttner, Gerry Groot, Gary Rawnsley, Thomas Petzold, Chen Wei, Gao Fei, Han Zhaoying, Huang Lin and many others whose name are not men- tioned here. Special thanks to all my interviewees and everyone who talked to me on and off record. There are, no doubt, errors of fact and issues of interpreta- tion with which some of them and others will disagree. I wish to thank Corneliu Bjola and Markus Kornprobst, the series editors, and Andrew Humphrys at Routledge for taking an interest in the project. Many thanks to Hannah Ferguson for guiding me through the production process. Acknowledgements ix I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers, who provided insightful and helpful feedback on the draft. And finally, I am indebted to my family and friends and my wife who has been selfless and supportive far beyond any reasonable expectation. Xiao Wang, feichang ganxie ni! Abbreviations BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CC Confucius Classroom CCP Chinese Communist Party CCTV China Central Television CEAIE Chinese Education Association for International Exchange CI Confucius Institute CICRM Confucius Institute Conference Reference Materials CIPG China International Publishing Group CNC China Xinhua News Network Corporation CPAFFC Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries CPIFA Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs CPPCC Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference CRI China Radio International CSC China Scholarship Council CSCSE Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange GAPP General Administration of Press and Publications Hanban Office of Chinese Language Council International NPC National People’s Congress PLA People’s Liberation Army PRC People’s Republic of China RIAS Radio in the American Sector RMB Chinese Renminbi ROC Republic of