CHINESE CELEBRITIES AS DIPLOMATS? CHINA'S STRATEGIC INTERACTION WITH INTERNATIONAL FANS TO EXPAND SOFT POWER ADMIDST HEIGHTENED INTER-STATE TENSION

Abstract

This paper intends to expand the existing research on Chinese soft power by exploring the interplay between the Chinese state, celebrities, and non-Mainland fans. China has rapidly developed and built its international presence in the past decades. Since Xi Jinping’s presidency, the state has invested in various instruments, especially soft power, to meet its foreign policy objectives. In this context, scholars have highlighted the Chinese government’s aggressive control over its celebrities to advance its global image and political agenda. However, few have investigated the influence of Chinese idols in global politics or even the impact of the state on international fans. Furthermore, the increased inter-state tensions are an alarming trend that affects several domains in the globalised world. This paper then focuses on the Nine-dash Line conflict as the central turning point regarding the Chinese government’s changes in its attempts to sway international fans’ attitudes through Chinese celebrities on social media. In tracking the developments of the Nine-dash Line conflict, this paper contends that the Chinese state continuously garners control over Chinese celebrities’ international discourse power. The interactions between the Chinese idols and their non-Mainland fans reflected negotiations in the celebrities’ and the bureaucracy’s social media political signalling strategy. Based on the findings, the Chinese stars’ subsequent gentle enforcement of political views on global media platforms led to the relatively effective exportation of the Chinese state’s political claims in inter-state tensions to fans abroad. Interestingly, the non-Mainland fans also adjusted their attitudes towards the celebrities’ political involvement on social media. Overall, the Chinese government consistently adjusts its policies to influence discourse among international Chinese pop culture fans through celebrities to bolster its soft power overseas.