The Chinese government is reviewing its methods of communicating with the world, but as recent events show, it still has a lot to learn.
By Zheng Zhonghai
“The ability to put yourself in the shoes of others helps reinforce the bond between you and your audience, and opens up the possibility of further conversation; simply reiterating your position,while ignoring your audiences’ concerns will only act to isolate them further,” stressed Qin Chang, a renowned Shanghai talk-radio host, during a recent seminar focusing on media relations. However, unlike similar seminars, this was part of a routine training session at the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, a relatively new branch of the Party School established in 2005.
Situated less than three miles from the site of the recently concluded Shanghai World Expo, the giant ultra-modern educational complex is clearly yet another symbol of the country’s rapid rise to economic prominence.
The institute was designed from the outset to prepare senior government officials and business executives for the changing realities brought about by China’s transforming political landscape. “Media Lab” and “Simulated Crisis Management,” two of the best-received training programs currently on offer, are designed to assist government officials in their handling of an increasingly influential fourth estate in addition to responding to severe crises such as large-scale protests, acute public health scandals and deadly natural disasters, according to Executive Vice President Feng Jun.
“First and foremost, officials must put themselves on an equal footing with the public and be willing to accept public criticism and dissent,” continued Qin to the group of trainees. The specific subject of the seminar centered on a handling media interest in a controversial forced demolition in order to make way for a public project. The Shanghai talk-radio host, renowned for her incisive, straightforward questions when interviewing government officials, was first invited to chair the seminar in 2007.
During a simulated protest in another classroom, Professor Yu Jianjun tutored officials on how to channel public outrage and ensure massive demonstrations don’t escalate into violence. So far, over 5,000 trainees have attended his crisis management training session.
In recent years the government has been increasingly aware of the significance of reaching out to the public. Yet it remains a difficult task to engage in meaningful interaction with a largely disparate population. For thousands of years Chinese officials had remained inaccessible and aloof. This natural sense of superiority meant those in power traditionally had little interest in engaging with the public.
International Campaign
As the government struggles with its own deep-rooted cultural and political legacy, those in the West are also beginning to reevaluate their relationship with China. In recent years, government leaders have become increasingly aware of the need for an ever more sophisticated international communications strategy, with many believing that China’s continued economic development is in fact dependent on a favorable external environment.
The decision to broadcast a series of high-profile TV commercials in the US is obviously a part of the government’s wider efforts to create this favorable external environment by helping to change perceptions of China in the West.
The creation of a well defined national image can be seen as an important means for stepping up China’s soft power, Zheng Yannong, vice-director of China International Public Relations Association (CIPRA) told NewsChina.
“As a latecomer to the world stage, China has a lot of catching-up to do in order to boost its image, and its soft power. This is the 21st century’s true battlefield,” Wu Xu, associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, told NewsChina.
A nation’s soft power is based on its value system, cultural output, and social policy. Although “soft,” this unique cultural and political combination is in fact one of the most powerful weapons in global politics. “As Joseph Nye, Jr., who coined the term ‘soft power,’ suggested, ‘the current competition among major powers is not whose army wins, but whose story wins,’” Wu explained.