International Responses to China’s Global Presence

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Amid China’s increasing global presence, how do citizens of other countries formulate their views of China? Can China shape global public opinion through public diplomacy or economic exchange? Can foreign firms push back when the Chinese party-state seeks to use economic leverage for political goals? This panel will examine perceptions of and reactions to China’s global engagement from various perspectives. The papers shed light on foreign citizens’ views of China as well as how foreign actors respond to China’s economic power. Using a survey experiment, Pan examines the impact of digital public diplomacy and finds that positive tweets about China have a significant positive effect on Americans’ attitudes toward China, whereas negative tweets about the US have little effect on their opinions. Ratigan finds that citizens’ views of China in Peru and Argentina are still very malleable and can be influenced by Chinese investment and other involvement in the region, although extractive projects may sometimes dampen enthusiasm for China. Wang and Zhu use experiments to show that positive or negative portrayals of Chinese people can influence Americans’ foreign policy preferences toward China and that US foreign policy rhetoric can likewise shape Americans’ views of Chinese people. Wang and Zhu’s research is among the first to examine the linkages between racial stereotypes and Americans’ foreign policy preferences toward China, thereby illuminating how foreign policy preferences are formed. In her analysis of economic conflicts between China and Japanese and Korean actors, Kellogg reveals how business can influence Chinese foreign policy, thereby limiting China’s ability to deploy its economic power for political ends. By examining how perceptions of China are shaped abroad and the extent of influence of China’s economic power, this panel advances our understanding of the broader implications of China’s global engagement.

Sub Unit

• Division 11: Comparative Politics

Individual Presentations

• How Effective is China’s Economic Bullying? - Anita R Kellogg, University of California, Los Angeles

• Chinese “Wolf Warrior” Diplomacy and Foreign Public Opinion - Chaohong Pan

• Chinese Investment and Public Opinion in Peru and Argentina - Kerry Ratigan, Amherst College

• Racial Stereotypes Toward Chinese and Foreign Policy Preference Toward China - Frances Yaping Wang, Colgate University; Boliang Zhu, Pennsylvania State University

Chair

• Kristin Vekasi University of Maine

Discussants

• Haifeng Huang University of California, Merced

• Kristin Vekasi University of Maine