According to Branding a Rising China: An Analysis of Beijing's National Image Management in the Age of China's Rise by Sheng Ding, she mentions that national image is not only a channel to wield a state's national power, but also an important national power resource. It has become critically important for China as it tries to rise in a relatively favorable international environment. This article also examines China's strengths and weaknesses in its national image management. On the one hand, China's national image benefits from its strong commitment to cultural diplomacy, effective employment of information and communication technologies in international broadcating, and close connections with the Chinese diaspora around the world. On the other hand, China's national image management is constrained by such hurdles as weak political credibility, reviving popular nationalism, and various missteps in its foreign policies.
There are many severe problems with China though, such as pollution, food safety, transparency, credibility, consumer consciousness… No country is ever perfect. There is major pollution in the United States; food safety is an issue across Asia, transparency and credibility of a government is not promised in any country; consumer consciousness has a deeper root with influence around the world. However, often times China is put to the spotlight for critiques around the world. Just like the article Media, the Olympics and the Search for the “Real China” written by Kevin Latham describes, no one cares about the eagerness of China trying to prove what we are really about, our growth, our economy and new technology, all they see is air pollution, fakeness, and government control. It’s kind of heartbreaking to see my country going through such tremendous development after world war 2 is still being misunderstood. This article shows China's national image management will remain an uphill battle in the long run.
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