Category: Public Diplomacy
Fake… Pathetic… Losers… Liars… All in a Single Raging Chinese Diplomatic Tweet
The Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe has proved yet again how easy it is to provoke them into a furious froth on Twitter. The embassy took aim at well-known Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono who re-tweeted a truly mediocre article by ...
Chinese Diplomats in Africa May Be Signaling They’re Paying Closer Attention to Local Labor Issues
China's newly arrived ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, (pictured far left foreground) conducted a site inspection on Saturday at the Entebbe International Airport, which is currently being expanded by Chinese contractors. The visit itself was an unremarkable public diplomacy event. But ...
China’s New Ambassador to Uganda is Making the Rounds
China's new envoy to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, isn't wasting any time becoming acquainted with local stakeholders in Uganda. Just one day after he presented his credentials to President Yoweri Museveni, the new ambassador met with the head of the state-run (and ...
China’s Ambassador to Nigeria Sends Reassuring Signals on Infrastructure Loans
China's ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun (photo), spoke to the media last week to address the mounting concerns about China's commitment to continue providing loans for Nigerian infrastructure development. "The Chinese side can work with Nigeria for the railway because now, ...
Beijing’s New Man in Kampala
China's newly-appointed ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, presented his credentials on Wednesday to Foreign Minister Jeje Odongo. During the brief ceremony, Zhang also gave Odongo a copy of the 668 page "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China Volume Three."
Chinese Embassy in Harare Angrily Refutes “Smear Campaign” by Zimbabwe Unions
The Chinese embassy in Harare came to the defense of a local Chinese tile company accused of forcing its employees to endure “slave-like working conditions.” The embassy published a statement on its website that challenged the authenticity of videos that have been circulating depicting the poor ...
Poverty Alleviation is Becoming an Increasingly Important in China’s Public Diplomacy Messaging In Africa
Lacking the pop culture Europeans and Americans have long relied on to bolster their soft power diplomacy in Africa, China instead uses alternative messaging about its rapid economic development, infrastructure accomplishments, and now domestic poverty alleviation. While the Chinese topics are ...
New Study Reveals the Breadth of China’s Diplomatic Use of Social Media and How Chinese Messaging is Amplified
China's use of U.S. social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook is a relatively new phenomenon that started in earnest around the end of 2019 and gathered speed through 2020. As such, there's been little research conducted into the breadth of Chinese engagement on these platforms and ...
China’s Outgoing Ambassador to Somalia Says Goodbye With a Bit of Flair
China's ambassador to Somalia, Qin Jian, is transitioning from his post and stopped by Villa Somalia this week to say goodbye to President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in style. It's not clear where Ambassador Qin's next assignment will be.
Anti-Colonialism Remains a Central Tenant of China’s Engagement in Africa
Colonialism and imperialism are the kinds of subjects that students in the U.S. and Europe study in school, framed within the assumption that they have very little applicability in contemporary geopolitics. But for the Chinese, these issues remain very close to the surface and make up a ...
The Chinese Embassy in Uganda Engages in Some Unusual Social Media Marketing
If you happen to know your Communist Chinese history, specifically how long the "War to Resist the U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea lasted for" then you could win a prize from the Chinese embassy in Uganda.
The U.S. Tries to Repackage What’s Effectively a Zoom Call Into Secretary Antony Blinken’s “Virtual Travel to Africa”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will "embark on his first virtual trip to Africa" on Tuesday as part of an effort to reach out with young people in Kenya and Nigeria. Even though the State Department ...