Letters | China’s soft power goals: look beyond brash media campaigns
- Interpersonal relationships might be one of the most effective mechanisms for shaping China’s image rather than aggressive media campaigns
- Even if those relationships are made through Chinese individuals critical of their own government, China might benefit in the long term
Weiwei moved from the UK to Portugal two years ago. His reasons for it came from his expressed love for Portuguese traditional crafting and its slow-paced life. Portuguese media has enthusiastically covered his stay in Portugal as well as his art exhibition in Lisbon.
In the last 10 years, the diplomatic and economic relationship between Portugal and China has grown significantly, even by EU standards. That closer relationship, paradoxically, was accompanied by a proliferation of anti-Communist Party rhetoric in Portuguese media.
Ai Weiwei’s popularity among the Portuguese intellectual class takes place amid China’s failure at projecting its soft power projection abroad. However, that has not affected the growing presence of Chinese investment in the country or the receptivity of Portugal in receiving thousands of Chinese coming into the country each year.
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Chinese students in Portugal start voluntarily quarantine amid coronavirus fears
