For the most part, the Chinese government has been very effective in persuading African political leaders about its version of what happened recently in Guangzhou. Contrary to widely held public perceptions in Africa, fueled in part by provocative videos that purportedly show Chinese mistreatment and abuse of Africans, Chinese officials contend that this was all just a big misunderstanding. The Chinese, according to officials, do not tolerate discrimination and treat everyone, foreigners, and Chinese nationals alike, the same. Instead, what happened in Guangzhou, they explain, had more to do with poor communication by local authorities who were zealously enforcing COVID-19 health restrictions as part of a larger effort to stem a resurgence of the deadly virus in Guandong province.
While that may have been acceptable reasoning for African ambassadors in Beijing and their foreign ministers back home, African publics remain wholly unpersuaded. In fact, if anything, their views in the several weeks since the height of the Guangzhou crisis have hardened further as more videos, photos and accounts of mistreatment fill their social media feeds.
For some perspective on the public diplomacy challenges that China confronts in Africa, I spoke with Cliff Mboya, a PhD candidate at Fudan University in Shanghai and one of the world’s leading experts in Chinese diplomatic communications in Africa. Prior to starting his doctorate program, Cliff worked for six years as an Information and Public Affairs Officer in the Chinese embassy in Nairobi.
The following is a transcript of our discussion conducted via WeChat.
ERIC OLANDER: China seems to have done very well in persuading Africa’s governing class about what happened recently in Guangzhou. But Beijing doesn’t appear to be having success in connecting with African publics, the media, and other civil society stakeholders. What’s your take on the perception gap that now exists between how Chinese view this issue and what you’re seeing in Africa?
CLIFF MBOYA: So, the reason why China seems to do very well in persuading the governing class about what happened in Guangzhou and not being able to do the same when it comes to the African public, the media, and other civil society is that for a long time China’s relationship with Africa has largely been driven by state relations and its public diplomacy for a long time has been led by state actors and the focus has been on state-to-state relations and I would say that the people-to-people relations have been neglected.
The challenge has been that in Africa there’s a very young population that’s largely on social media and that means the formal, traditional kind of public diplomacy doesn’t resonate with the majority of the public.
Unfortunately, the ruling elite in Africa have not been held accountable and responsive to the interests of the people and their misrule has left a huge credibility gap between themselves and the people, the media and the civil society. As a result, most Africans see China- Africa relations as an alliance of the elites who are out to disenfranchise them.
ERIC: As someone who lives and works in between both worlds, what do you think each side is misreading about the other in terms of the current trends you’re following on social media, in the press and just in everyday conversations?
CLIFF: It’s worrying that both sides assume that good state relations equal good people-to-people relations. The relationship between Africa and the Chinese people remains tense at best. There exists a mutual bias against each other that has roots in long-held stereotypes, cultural differences, language barriers, misinformation, unfamiliarity with each other, and just plain ignorance.
There’s a sense of extreme polarization when it comes to critical issues such as politics, culture, and both sides generally avoid these conversations. Chinese officials seem to believe that these tensions are instigated by Western operatives who are out to harm China-Africa relations but the incidents in Guangzhou ensure that China and Africa can no longer bury their heads in the sand.
ERIC: Chinese officials and diplomats are very good at honing in on a specific message and then sticking to it closely across their various channels (foreign ministry briefings, CGTN, diplomatic tweets, etc…) The challenge though, especially in a place like Africa, where the population is very young and largely on social media, that formal, traditional kind of public diplomacy doesn’t resonate. If you were asked to advise the Foreign Ministry on how to overcome this challenge, what would you tell them?
CLIFF: The challenge has been that in Africa there’s a very young population that’s largely on social media and that means the formal, traditional kind of public diplomacy doesn’t resonate with the majority of the public. My advice to the Foreign Ministry on how to best overcome this challenge would be that they need to acknowledge that the communications revolution has empowered the public and made it very difficult for states to be fully in charge of the content and flow of information and communication. The era of one-way, top-down communication is long gone. Policy responses are better informed when there is public input and their concerns cannot be downplayed. State bureaucracy that hinders communications only serves to alienate the public.
My mantra in public diplomacy is “localize.” Localize communication, localize interests, and localize actors. The foreign ministry should empower its diplomats and other public diplomacy actors, this includes individuals, companies, and associations, to be able to fully integrate and understand the local environment and be able to act swiftly. They should be able to establish general connections and longterm relationships with the public and collaborate with their level to build trust and mutual understanding between themselves and the people. As a matter of a priority, they must put locals at the forefront of their public diplomacy initiatives to get Chinese messages across and expedite the social and cultural integration process.
That said, I do want to acknowledge the positive trend adopted recently where non-state actors are gradually taking up China’s public diplomacy roles. The collective efforts of Chinese companies, tourists oversee associations, and individuals like Jack Ma will, for sure, go a long way in reaching out to the public in ways that resonate with their needs and interests, but only if this is sustained over the longterm.
Suggested Reading:
- Axios: China’s “Wolf Warrior diplomacy” comes to Twitter by Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
- Vice: How China Shut Down African Protests Over Racial Discrimination in Guangzhou by David Gilbert
- CNN: For China’s aggressive new diplomacy, coronavirus is both a crisis and an opportunity by James Griffiths
About Cliff Mboya:
Cliff Mboya is a Ph.D. candidate in International Politics in the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University (China). He holds an M.A in Development Communication from the University of Nairobi and a B.A in International Relations from the United States International University-Africa. He has experience in diplomacy and international relations combined with Journalism. He interned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Kenya before joining “Diplomat East Africa” magazine as a junior writer. He joined the Chinese Embassy in Kenya as Information and Public affairs officer in January 2011 and worked there for six years before leaving to pursue his PhD. in 2006. He has published topical and opinion pieces in several local and international newspapers (Daily Nation, The Standard, The Star, The People, China Daily Africa and Europe editions) covering topics relating to Kenya-China and China-Africa relations. His research interests include China-Africa relations, Chinese politics and diplomacy and political theory. His Ph.D. is on China’s Public diplomacy in Kenya.
