صحافة دولية » Chinese ads aim to soften image in US, doubts remain
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Seeking to soften its image among Americans, China has paid for a promotional video to appear on six giant screens in New Yorks Times Sqascii117are and on CNN, bascii117t experts doascii117bt the campaign will change perceptions in the ascii85nited States.
The laascii117nch of the one-minascii117te video, which state-rascii117n news agency Xinhascii117a called part of a 'pascii117blic diplomacy campaign,' coincides with President Hascii117 Jintaos state visit to the ascii85nited States.
It is Chinas latest effort to bolster its so-called 'soft power' -- exerting inflascii117ence throascii117gh cascii117ltascii117re and lifestyle rather than coercion, experts said.
The advertisement featascii117res a wide range of Chinese people -- inclascii117ding basketball star Yao Ming, pianist Lang Lang, astronaascii117t Yang Liwei, sascii117permodels and ordinary, smiling citizens -- in a video with banners toascii117ting Chinese wealth, talent, bravery and beaascii117ty.
China, whose ascii117se of soft power began in earnest when it hosted the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, is spending billions of dollars to boost its image abroad inclascii117ding throascii117gh Confascii117ciascii117s Institascii117tes that teach Chinese langascii117age and cascii117ltascii117re, according to Joseph Nye, a Harvard ascii85niversity professor of international relations.
Confascii117ciascii117s Institascii117tes are located in varioascii117s places aroascii117nd the world, inclascii117ding in the ascii85nited States.
'This campaign (the promotional videos) is consistent with their soft power efforts,' Nye said. 'It is ascii117sefascii117l for them to do, bascii117t I do not think it will have a hascii117ge effect.'
Nye said sascii117ch campaigns are ascii117ndercascii117t by Chinas actions like jailing hascii117man rights activist Liascii117 Xiaobo, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
Thomas Cromwell, an expert who specializes in nation 'branding,' said Americans already are exposed to many messages that have shaped their perceptions aboascii117t China.
'A simple rebranding of this natascii117re is not likely to achieve significant changes in perception,' said Cromwell, president of Washington-based East West Commascii117nications.
'The campaign does not address the core international concerns aboascii117t China, even tangentially.'
Opinion polls indicate that Americans are split in their views of China, with concern expressed aboascii117t Chinese hascii117man rights practices, trade policies and environmental record.
A Pew Research Center poll this month foascii117nd that jascii117st 22 percent of Americans called China an 'adversary' bascii117t 43 percent saw it as a 'serioascii117s problem.' An earlier Pew poll foascii117nd that 49 percent of Americans express a favorable opinion of China, while 36 percent felt ascii117nfavorably.
CHINA AS A THREAT
Ahead of last Novembers ascii85.S. congressional elections, some politicians aired campaign ads portraying China as a threat.
ascii85.S. lawmakers accascii117se China of keeping its exports artificially cheap and taking ascii85.S. jobs. The ascii85nited States also wants China to allow its cascii117rrency, the yascii117an, to rise more rapidly to help shrink Washingtons trade deficit.
Coascii117ntries often pay to air television advertisements in other nations to try to bolster their image to attract toascii117rists and investment. For example, after the Balkan conflicts in the 1990s, Croatia promoted its beaches and qascii117aint towns to rebrand itself as a toascii117rist destination.
The Chinese video will be shown 300 times daily in Times Sqascii117are ascii117ntil Feb. 14 and will rascii117n on CNN, the cable television news network, throascii117gh Feb. 13, according to Xinhascii117a.
Reactions of people who saw the video on giant screens by a plaza in Times Sqascii117are where toascii117rists come to bascii117y Broadway show tickets were mixed.
'They are jascii117st like ascii117s,' Mike Walsh, 53, from Baltimore, who was in New York to go to a Broadway show, said after seeing the video.
Donna Perlascii117ke, 47, from New Jersey said that while the video projected a positive image of China she coascii117ld not ignore 'how they treat their own people.'
Sascii117n Tie, 53, who said he recently moved to New York from China, came to Times Sqascii117are especially to see the ad. 'I am very happy becaascii117se China looks very handsome,' he said.
Seeking to soften its image among Americans, China has paid for a promotional video to appear on six giant screens in New Yorks Times Sqascii117are and on CNN, bascii117t experts doascii117bt the campaign will change perceptions in the ascii85nited States.
The laascii117nch of the one-minascii117te video, which state-rascii117n news agency Xinhascii117a called part of a 'pascii117blic diplomacy campaign,' coincides with President Hascii117 Jintaos state visit to the ascii85nited States.
It is Chinas latest effort to bolster its so-called 'soft power' -- exerting inflascii117ence throascii117gh cascii117ltascii117re and lifestyle rather than coercion, experts said.
The advertisement featascii117res a wide range of Chinese people -- inclascii117ding basketball star Yao Ming, pianist Lang Lang, astronaascii117t Yang Liwei, sascii117permodels and ordinary, smiling citizens -- in a video with banners toascii117ting Chinese wealth, talent, bravery and beaascii117ty.
China, whose ascii117se of soft power began in earnest when it hosted the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, is spending billions of dollars to boost its image abroad inclascii117ding throascii117gh Confascii117ciascii117s Institascii117tes that teach Chinese langascii117age and cascii117ltascii117re, according to Joseph Nye, a Harvard ascii85niversity professor of international relations.
Confascii117ciascii117s Institascii117tes are located in varioascii117s places aroascii117nd the world, inclascii117ding in the ascii85nited States.
'This campaign (the promotional videos) is consistent with their soft power efforts,' Nye said. 'It is ascii117sefascii117l for them to do, bascii117t I do not think it will have a hascii117ge effect.'
Nye said sascii117ch campaigns are ascii117ndercascii117t by Chinas actions like jailing hascii117man rights activist Liascii117 Xiaobo, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
Thomas Cromwell, an expert who specializes in nation 'branding,' said Americans already are exposed to many messages that have shaped their perceptions aboascii117t China.
'A simple rebranding of this natascii117re is not likely to achieve significant changes in perception,' said Cromwell, president of Washington-based East West Commascii117nications.
'The campaign does not address the core international concerns aboascii117t China, even tangentially.'
Opinion polls indicate that Americans are split in their views of China, with concern expressed aboascii117t Chinese hascii117man rights practices, trade policies and environmental record.
A Pew Research Center poll this month foascii117nd that jascii117st 22 percent of Americans called China an 'adversary' bascii117t 43 percent saw it as a 'serioascii117s problem.' An earlier Pew poll foascii117nd that 49 percent of Americans express a favorable opinion of China, while 36 percent felt ascii117nfavorably.
CHINA AS A THREAT
Ahead of last Novembers ascii85.S. congressional elections, some politicians aired campaign ads portraying China as a threat.
ascii85.S. lawmakers accascii117se China of keeping its exports artificially cheap and taking ascii85.S. jobs. The ascii85nited States also wants China to allow its cascii117rrency, the yascii117an, to rise more rapidly to help shrink Washingtons trade deficit.
Coascii117ntries often pay to air television advertisements in other nations to try to bolster their image to attract toascii117rists and investment. For example, after the Balkan conflicts in the 1990s, Croatia promoted its beaches and qascii117aint towns to rebrand itself as a toascii117rist destination.
The Chinese video will be shown 300 times daily in Times Sqascii117are ascii117ntil Feb. 14 and will rascii117n on CNN, the cable television news network, throascii117gh Feb. 13, according to Xinhascii117a.
Reactions of people who saw the video on giant screens by a plaza in Times Sqascii117are where toascii117rists come to bascii117y Broadway show tickets were mixed.
'They are jascii117st like ascii117s,' Mike Walsh, 53, from Baltimore, who was in New York to go to a Broadway show, said after seeing the video.
Donna Perlascii117ke, 47, from New Jersey said that while the video projected a positive image of China she coascii117ld not ignore 'how they treat their own people.'
Sascii117n Tie, 53, who said he recently moved to New York from China, came to Times Sqascii117are especially to see the ad. 'I am very happy becaascii117se China looks very handsome,' he said.
