Cultural exchange important in building national image, report says

Cultural communication is the final channel for China to build its national image abroad, especially in Latin American countries, according to a report from a senior researcher at the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS) under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

By establishing and developing an international communication network based on the integration of the government, the business community, the academic circles, and the media, China will open the channel for creating a new international image, says Guo Cunhai, a research scholar at ILAS, a government backed think tank in Beijing, in a special report called Constructing China's International Image from the Perspective of Cultural Promotion: Challenges and Suggestions.

Guo's report is also the main piece published in the latest Yellow Book of Latin America and the Caribbean, which is a annual report on the region.

Comparing with Western countries, China's national image in Africa and Latin American regions still need some improvements, Guo said in the report. Citing the result of the local survey in recent years, Guo said most Latin America countries hold a portative image in China, with 58 percent of the people in the countries holding a favorable impression of China. It is lower than the 74-percent of the United States and 63-percent of the Europe.

Guo argued China's lack of cultural diplomacy coordinating, language promotion; international communication and overseas cultural aids are the major factors that influence the country's image building in Latin America regions. In contrast, China has a better national image in Africa, with more than 69 percent of African people showing friendly attitudes towards China last year, according to PewGlobal, Global Indicator Database.

"Cultural exchanges and communication should be an important part in China's diplomacy," Guo says.

"Setting up an international communication network that taking in charge of overseas cultural communication will help the country build its image. The Confucius institutes can also play an important role in building China's soft power."

Another report in the yellow book argued that most Latin American countries' economic fluctuations remain to be large.

In May, 2015, Premier Li Keqiang proposed a "3 x 3" model for boosting China-Latin America collaboration on production capacity.

"This will help revive the global economy, be a win-win for multiple parties and benefit the public with the outcomes of development," Li said.