Young Americans seen as ‘future of China-US relations’ as scholars reflect on soft power
- Officials and experts at seminar ponder why US cultural exports like Hollywood movies are global hits but Chinese efforts miss the mark
- Cultural exchanges also criticised as too rigid, with not enough dialogue
With the US dominating in the soft power stakes, China should focus on young Americans who take a more positive view of the country to improve cultural ties, according to scholars and officials.
That was the consensus at a seminar in Beijing last week to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of relations between China and the United States, where a key discussion was why American culture shown in such products as Hollywood films have been so well received elsewhere.
They said the success of these cultural exports had helped the US to spread its values around the world, while China’s efforts to use its soft power abroad were often met with scepticism and even resistance.
One official said the difference was a failure to “tell the China story well” – something President Xi Jinping has instructed the ruling Communist Party’s cadres to do.
Since he took office in 2012, Xi has repeatedly called on officials to step up efforts to boost China’s image and “soft power” abroad and promoted what he calls the “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation.
But Chen Dali, who is in charge of US affairs at the education ministry’s Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, told the seminar that the China story had to be “real”.
