ABSTRACT
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has indeed expended enormous resources in hopes of expanding China’s cultural influence, improving its international image, and assuaging concerns over China’s rapid rise to global power. In order to “improve the popularity and reputation of China,” over 282 Confucius Institutes and 241 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 87 countries and regions worldwide (People’s Daily 2010a). On July 1, 2010, Xinhua News Agency launched a 24-hour English language global news channel entitled CNC World. Expected to reach some 50 million viewers by the end of 2011, CNC World is designed to provide “an international vision with a Chinese perspective” (Barboza 2010). Chinese leaders have also been doing their part. Visits to local Chinese communities, touring Chinese investments, and taking in local culture are all now de rigueur stops during Chinese leaders’ state visits abroad. More substantially, China has sought to demonstrate its international responsibility by expanding foreign aid, bolstering its multilateral cooperation, and supporting UN peace-keeping missions.
