Identity and security in China: the negative soft power of the China dream

Callahan, William A. (2015) Identity and security in China: the negative soft power of the China dream. Politics, 35 (3-4). pp. 216-229. ISSN 0263-3957

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Abstract

Joseph Nye concentrates on the positive attractive aspects of soft power as a foreign policy tool. This article will argue that the Chinese discussion of soft power is interesting because it does the opposite: soft power is negative rather than positive, and is employed as a tool in domestic policy more than in foreign affairs. It will use Chinese President Xi Jinping's new ‘China Dream’ discourse to explore China's ‘negative soft power’ strategy. Rather than take for granted that we understand what the ‘Chinese values’ are that inform the PRC's soft power, it argues that soft power discourse is a useful heuristic device for understanding how Chinese policy makers and public intellectuals are actively constructing a ‘China’ and a ‘world’ to promote regime legitimacy. The Chinese case thus suggests that we need a more complex view of power that considers the contingent dynamics of its hard/soft, positive/negative, foreign/domestic aspects.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(IS...
Additional Information:	© 2015 The Author. Politics © 2015 Political Studies Association
Library of Congress subject classification:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia
Sets:	Departments > International Relations
Date Deposited:	18 Nov 2015 15:35
URL:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/64455/

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