Category: Soft Power
Gauging the Effectiveness of Chinese Soft Power in Africa
It is very difficult, if not impossible, right now to accurately public opinion perceptions of China in a region as large and diverse as Africa. There are strong indications that point in opposite directions. African leaders one after another shower China ...
China Promotes Its Poverty Alleviation Policies to African Diplomats
China's successful track record in eliminating extreme poverty over the past several decades is emerging as a potent soft power diplomacy initiative in its relations with African countries. China now regularly touts its poverty eradication efforts in its official propaganda
China’s Infrastructure Soft Power Diplomacy in Africa
China's approach to soft power diplomacy in Africa differs markedly from that of other major powers, namely the United States, France and the UK. While those countries rely heavily on cultural products like movies and music to promote their cultures, China uses glamor shots of beautiful new ...
Macky Sall Thanks His Friend Xi Jinping For Donating 300,000 Vaccines and Syringes
Senegalese President Macky Sall took to Twitter yesterday to express his gratitude to his "friend President Xi Jinping" for the donation of 300,000 COVID-19 vaccines and 300,000 syringes that landed in Dakar this week. The tweet provides the latest ...
China to Build a New Library at the University of Nairobi
Beijing's top diplomat for sub-Saharan Africa, Wu Peng, announced on Twitter yesterday that the Chinese government will build a China-themed library at the University of Nairobi. The university is already home to a Confucius Institute. Wu added that he ...
COVID Complaints and the Issue of Soft Power
As an outfit tracking the Africa-China aspect of COVID-19 since its outbreak, we were aware from early on that the pandemic has laid down a new track in a global geopolitical race. So it’s very interesting to see more commentators in the Global North slowly waking up ...
Someone is Notably Absent From This Year’s Alibaba-Backed Africa’s Business Heroes Awards
Organizers of the annual Africa's Business Heroes prize sent out an announcement on Wednesday that the online portal to apply for the competition will open on Monday. In the past, just last year in fact, this same announcement had Jack Ma all over it. But not this ...
Favorable Views of China, France Both Fall in 12-Nation African Survey
Opinion leaders in 12 French and Arabic speaking African countries look less favorably upon France and China, according to the findings of the third annual survey conducted by the French Council of Investors in Africa (CIAN), an independent business association. China fell 9 points this past year ...
The Reality of Educational Soft Power
Last week was a bloody one in Johannesburg. Wits University, where I used to teach and where I’m currently an affiliate, has seen weeks of student protests. On Wednesday, a standoff turned violent. As the police opened fire with rubber bullets, a bystander stepped out of a ...
Why China’s Vaccine Outreach in Africa May Not Produce the Soft Power Dividends Many Assume
There's growing anxiety in many Western capitals that China's head start in distributing vaccines to African countries will provide Beijing with a powerful diplomatic advantage. While there's no doubt that China's vaccine donations are well received on the continent, a trio of Africa analysts at the UK-based ...