Since the 1990s, the development of globalization and information technology has been changing the political ecology of traditional international relations. The all-round and close communication and competition in terms of communication competence among nation-states promoted the constant change of international power system and interest pattern. The competition for global speech space and discourse power has therefore taken on more extensive strategic significance for cultural development. Only about 20 years have passed since the end of the Cold War, the clouds left by the Cold War have not dispersed and mutual trust between all forms of civilizations is yet to reach. However, people realized that, in the biological population sense of “human beings”, via harsh realities, the theme “community of common destiny” was put high on the global agenda.

As the most populous country of the world, China has been striving to carry out communication and exchange with the rest of the world and define its relationship with the rest of the world. Currently, when observing China, maybe we need an alternative logic state: re-examine the appropriate state, model and route of exchange between China and the rest of the world in the scope of global governance. The precondition of such a reassessment was the public governance of mankind under the guidance of the concept of “community of common destiny”. It depends on the diversity and pluralism of culture as well as the balance of values and capabilities in the cross-culture communication among different nation-states.

In the practice of global governance, public diplomacy, a concept emerging and prospering from the process of information confrontation in the Cold War, has got new vitality due to the emphasis on all-round communication among different parties of different nation-states.

I. Three Development Stages of Public Diplomacy

Traditional public diplomacy emerged during the Cold War period. During the half-century long Cold War, the technological environment of international communication was relatively adverse, and shortwave broadcasting was the major means for the international dissemination of information. Shortwave broadcasting features one-way transmission, and its mission was serving the information confrontation and international opinion struggle between the blocs of East and West during the Cold War. Publicity theories originated from two world wars was the major knowledge support for information practice of this period. Public diplomacy and international communication during the Cold War feature strong aggressiveness and antagonism. Such antagonism is now still influencing the adjustment of the order of international information communication.
In the 1990s, with the end of cold war and the integration of world economy, information and its media gradually move towards globalization. Technological reform of information communication started from the later period of the Cold War gradually prospered at this time. The development of international satellite television and first generation internet transferred the international communication of public diplomacy from single infusion to two-way communication. After short hovering, although the global public diplomacy was still of the symbol of information confrontation of Cold War, it has been making its efforts to reducing exchange barriers between countries and nations, as well as enhance dialogue between different cultures and civilizations. At this period, public diplomacy practices exhibited the general characteristics of “defensive ideological confrontation, communication and cooperation”, and its theoretical basis was converting from propagation to dissemination, and from international publicity to cross-culture communication.

In 2001, the 9·11 incident occurred in the United States, which proved again the significance of cultural exchange. The theories and practices of public diplomacy were injected with new vitality on a global scale. In this phase, the environment of information communication worldwide developed rapidly towards the integration of media with internet at the basic level. The updating speed of internet itself was also accelerating. The individualization and globalization of information production, as well as the change of information mining model brought by big data were shaping the new framework of exchange in terms of knowledge, culture and civilization on a global scale.

Due to the classical realistic international political reality, though the antagonism and defensive nature of international communication and public diplomacy still existed, the core proposition of them was continuously extending to issues such as climate, environment, dialogue between cultures and civilizations, and paid more and more attention to the common destiny of mankind. Public diplomacy and international communication of the world were moving towards a completely fresh orientation.

II. Three fundamental trends of public diplomacy development

Based on the new state of coexistence of mankind, demands on global public governance were on the rise. Reflected in the domain of information communication, it expressed itself as the demands on “new public diplomacy”. In fact, under the background of new information dissemination technologies, different countries and nations all over the world were moving towards a new era of communication and exchange. The integrated development of media on a global scale, was not only a reform in the domains of media and information services, but also a restructuring of the original information regulation model in the whole international community. While the supply and consumption of information in the international community were also undergoing the reforms in terms of media, agents and vehicles. In such circumstance, public diplomacy was undergoing profound changes in terms of forms, channels and missions. Overall characteristics of such change feature converting from alternative hypothesis and warfare pattern to information competition model and cooperation pattern.

The aggressiveness of public diplomacy was weakening. The offensive nature of public diplomacy and international communication was originated from the Cold War period and was in the long run influenced by the Cold War thinking. Over a long time in the future, this hallmark of era will not fully disappear. Its practical influence will enhance the occurring of events and incidents such as “street politics and color revolution”. However, such aggressiveness will be gradually weakened with the development of new order of international communication.

Defensive nature of public diplomacy will persist. In the current international political environment, nation-states were still the major players of international relations, worldwide ideological cooperation and exchange were constantly strengthening. However, confrontations arose from various reasons took place from time to time, and national ideology and cultural security were still at the core of concerns of policy-makers of all countries.

The public attribution of public diplomacy was on the rise. In fact, since the birth of public diplomacy, it was to some extent of public nature. A series of factors offered new possibilities for citizens of countries originally at the disadvantageous position in information acquisition to participate in global exchange, including lower cost, more opportunities and higher efficiency of the independent participation of the public in public diplomacy; many global issues were closely related with the destiny of individuals and the enthusiasm of individuals in participating in public diplomacy was high; the development of new technologies of information communication on a global scale, demands of countries on the diversification of information communication bodies. Therefore, public diplomacy will become more and more “public”.

Under the influence of the above three trends, we argue that global practioners of public diplomacy should fully take advantage and optimize traditional public diplomacy platforms, develop new platforms, renew the theories of cross-cultural communication, enhance the spontaneous cultural communication between individuals and groups, explore and develop new mechanisms of civilizational exchange among different ethnic groups.

III. Perceive China and the world under the guidance of the concept of new public diplomacy

China is a country willing to enhance the harmony of the world with exchange. As early as over 1200 years ago, ancient Chinese have recognized that “the relationship between two countries was based on the affection between the people”. Only by strengthening communication and exchange, can we build the affection between the people. At the beginning of the establishment of new China, we founded the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, with a view of enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and the people of all other countries, promoting the establishment and development of friendly relations and cooperation between China and other countries and making contributions to peace and development of the world. After the reform and opening up, with the objective of making China and the world know about each other, many exchange platforms such as Chinese Association for International Understanding strove to establish dialogue platforms and contact channels.

The focus of the Chinese people on the concept “public diplomacy” started since 1990s. Since mid-1990s, academic and diplomatic circles gradually replaced the concept of “people’s diplomacy” with “public diplomacy”, for discribing the international exchange activities in a broader sense. The public diplomacy has therefore be of congenitally strong public nature and affinity to people.

In practice, form the later period of cold war to now, China has been strengthening communication and exchange with the rest of the world with various methods like public diplomacy, has been striving to become a contributor of existing international order, and obtain full legitimacy status in international community.

Confronted with various misunderstanding and obstacles in terms of cross-cultural communication, Chinese government has been strengthening public diplomacy, pushing for the understanding and recognition of international community on self-positioning of China, including the positioning of responsible great country and peaceful rising. However, due to the great gap between international and domestic political ideal and political realities, the contradiction between self-concepts of the country and nation of China and the cognition of the international community on China is still yet to be bridged.

Currently, we have all recognized that we have to strengthen communication and exchange with international community, so as to elaborate the problems we meet in the process of development, achieve understanding from international community, create a favorable public opinion environment for the peaceful rise of the country, as well as strengthen the inherent charm and attraction of the country and the Chinese nation.

All countries of the world should profoundly understand the new governance model of global information communication under the technological background of internet, follow its basic laws, bravely embrace major changes occurred in this domain, completely get rid of the original thinking of conflict and struggle, and promote new public diplomacy to become an important point of global governance. In other words, the world should re-examine its relationship with China and China should also position its relationship with the world under the new framework of global governance.

Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC, China repeatedly promised to adhere to reform and opening up, and expressed the willingness of strengthening exchange with international community. China expected all countries, with a more open mentality, abandon the information communication forms, channels and objectives stipulated by the school of classical realism. The proposal of concepts such as “Belt and Road”“community of common destiny for all mankind” signified that the thinking of Chinese leadership and government has jumped beyond the bound of history, and began to think about the future of China and the world from a new perspective.

IV. Efforts of international communication in the perspective of public diplomacy

By improving top-level design and coordinating resources, international communication should strive to agglomerate core values of China. In a more and more complex world, international communication and public diplomacy not only involves diverse subjects such as international organizations, governments, non-governmental organizations, but also involves various factors, layers such as values, channels, forms and their relations. Therefore, we should make the overall design of discourse in a broader scope, higher level, and more authoritatively, so as to optimize the allocation of resources, integrate and push forward comprehensively, ensure the implementation, and form a set of scientific and effective coordinating mechanisms. We should transcend traditional and modern value, integrate and elevate the contents of different values, perfect the value system with Chinese characteristics, establish a modern social-value system featuring the coordinated progress of politics, economy and culture, thus forming the Chinese core values by integrating social consensus.

We should take the initiative in setting international topics, elaborating and bridging China and the world. More than 30 years have passed since the reform and opening up, and the international role and status of China has undergone profound changes. We not only need to concentrate on construction and development, but also should tell the stories of China and elaborate the values of China. China should respond more actively to the concerns of international community, actively publicize and shape its international role, status and responsibility, and elaborate the road, system and theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics. On major issues, problems and concerns of the international community, China should actively express its opinions and positions, highlighting the value of China in the international community.

We should also bring into full play the interacted force of different bodies, innovate narrative modes, and forming a multi-dimensional publicizing model. Currently, the bodies of international communication are becoming more and more diversified, with the channels and forms being more and more abundant, therefore, we’ve entered the era of omni-media and global governance. This called for the convergence of force with the interaction between different bodies such as national leaders, government, media, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and the public, establish all-medium, all-platform, all-dimensional communication channels composed of mass media, official channel and people-to-people exchange, strengthen the activeness and enthusiasm of non-state-owned enterprises in taking part in the construction of discourse power of China, and enhance international-oriented think tanks and non-governmental organizations in making the voice of China on more broad and higher level international communication platforms. Meanwhile, we should take advantage of new media such as the internet and social media and realize the seamless connection between Chinese discourse and new generation, new audience. On the other hand, we should understand, research and cater to the thinking and expression habits of international discourse, seek common grounds which meet both the demands and interests of domestic and foreign public, strengthen the dialogue and connection between international communication of China and the rest of the world, especially the west, adopt internationalized, story-telling, and humane expression model, and elaborate Chinese story and Chinese values to diversified audiences including foreign governments, people and international organizations.

Currently, the Chinese society was undergoing profound transformation. Duo to the demographic, regional, historic and cultural features of China, the complexity of transformation and the toughness of reform may have surpassed that of any country in any specific development stage in the history of mankind. With more clarified institutional arrangements and based on the long-term development of the country and the nation, China will extensively absorb new cultural achievements and the common values system of mankind, bridge domestic experience with international wisdom, confidently face with domestic problems and international suspicions, and achieve a balanced relationship with the rest of the world under the new framework of global governance and global new public diplomacy. We also expect that with the same benevolence and under the guidance of mission of global new public diplomacy, the world will adjust from time to time its relations with China.

　
(Hu Zhengrong, Council Member of CAFIU, Deputy-President, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of Communication University of China, Director of National Center for Radio and Television Studies-a Key Research Institute in University of China, Convener of Discipline Appraisal Group of State Council. Zhang Yuqiang, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of Communication University of China, Executive Deputy Director of Center for International Communication Strategy and Development)