The Limits of China’s Soft Power in Europe: Beijing’s Public Diplomacy Puzzle

For a rising power like China, soft power and image management are essential aspects of its diplomacy. Soft power has to make China’s rise palatable to the world and has to create understanding, regard, and ultimately support for China’s political model and policies. It has to help China to win friends and allies, and to advance the country’s agenda. It is therefore no surprise that building and projecting soft power have been put firmly on China’s international agenda, including its agenda for Europe. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.