Public diplomacy of China
Soon after its founding, the People's Republic of China institutionalized its concept of public diplomacy as "people's diplomacy," which it expressed through the slogan, "influence the policy through the people." The PRC sent doctors, scientists, and athletes to other developing countries to develop connections. This form of people's diplomacy was typically conducted via the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Other public diplomacy mechanisms of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese state have included translations of Chinese works and foreign language magazines, sister city initiatives, and the establishment of international communication centers. The People's Daily describes Confucius Institutes as a form of public diplomacy.
Mechanisms
Soon after its founding, the People's Republic of China institutionalized its view of public diplomacy as "people's diplomacy". People's diplomacy was expressed through the slogan, "influence the policy through the people." Pursuant to its people's diplomacy, China sent doctors, scientists, and athletes to developing countries in Asia to cultivate ties. This form of people's diplomacy was often executed through the Chinese Communist Party's International Liaison Department.At its inception, the PRC viewed translating Chinese works as an important part of its cultural diplomacy. During the Mao era, the government emphasized distributing foreign language works such as China Pictorial, China Reconstructs, and Peking Review.
People's diplomacy with the capitalist countries sought to cultivate informal, non-state ties in the hope of developing "foreign friends" who would lobby their governments to improve relations with China. In the context of China-United States relations, one of the most prominent instances of people's diplomacy was the ping-pong diplomacy which arose following a conversation between Chinese and American players at the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya, Japan. China's approach to keeping these exchanges unofficial and conduct them through non-governmental agencies was generally well received by U.S. civil society groups and academics.
Sister city initiatives are an increasingly widespread mechanism for Chinese public diplomacy. From the early 2000s until 2024, the number of China's sister city relationships doubled. More than one-third of Chinese sister city relationships are with sister cities in the east Asia Pacific region.
The People's Daily has described Confucius Institutes as a form of public diplomacy.
Starting in the late 2010s, wolf warrior diplomacy has been described as a confrontational form of public diplomacy adopted by PRC diplomats, often involving compellence.
Chinese public diplomacy frequently emphasizes principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in countries' domestic affairs.