Week6 - Ralph Imatong

China's Challenge for a National Image

China is in the midst of building a national identity for themselves and are having challenges to successfully illustrate a positive image globally. In the article, "Branding a Rising China," Sheng Ding shows the struggles of the Chinese government which complicates their efforts for creating a national aesthetic. One of the things that I noticed in this article is the dependence of China for the approval of the United States for the Chinese international image. I think that the Chinese government is too focused to be liked by other countries that they spend too much of their tax payer's money to lobby in Washington, DC. I think what the Chinese government should prioritize is mend its internal problems like provincial division, riots, and have a better response to unrests, to name a few, in order for their people to have confidence in their government. If the internal problem is fixed, China will not have to spend too much money to gain a good image in the international stage. Instead, they will have a facile effort to gain a genuine national image internationally. I also find the efforts of China to increase their international broadcasting capabilities through the internet because the government itself censors internet access to its constituents.

In a sense, China and the Philippines have similar internal dilemmas. The Philippines in particular has been plagued with issues about corruption which seems to be unquenchable. For decades now, the Philippine government's image to the Filipinos in untrustworthy. If one of the pillars of building a national aesthetic has a huge problem, then the government cannot form a good foundation to support change. I think that once the Filipinos have a better form of government, then the country can start a change that will lead to a positive national image.

How can a nation-state or a country gain power without instigating war with other countries? How does the geographical challenge and the over population of China affect the building of their national aesthetic?

President Obama with President Xi Jinping in Beijing. 

Bibliography

Ding, Sheng. "Branding a Rising China: An Analysis of Beijing's National Image Management in the Age of China's Rise." Journal of Asian and African Studies 46.3 (2011): 293-306. Web. 

Photo: Kurlantzik, Joshua. "Power Trip: Might China’s Struggles with Its Neighbours Bring War to Asia? | The National." Might China's Struggles with Its Neighbours Bring War to Asia? The National, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 06 Feb. 2016.