The features of the USA and the PRC digital diplomacy in the Mediterranean region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu06.2024.402Abstract
The Mediterranean region has historically occupied a significant position in global politics, largely due to its strategic geographical location. In recent years, the People’s Republic of China has directed a greater level of attention towards the region. China’s interest in the region is primarily driven by economic considerations. An important extra-regional actor in the Mediterranean is the United States, whose efforts are mainly focused on preserving the USA-centric model of security architecture in the region. For both the USA and the PRC, public diplomacy, including its digital dimension through social media, represents an important tool for the promotion of interests in the region. In light of the growing tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, it is crucial to examine the impact of their distinct regional interests on their digital diplomacy strategies in the Mediterranean region. At the level of the null hypothesis, it is anticipated that the distinctive characteristics of the USA and the PRC digital diplomacy in the Mediterranean region are not contingent upon the regional interests of these countries. The alternative hypothesis of the study is that the regional interests of the USA and the PRC in the Mediterranean region are the determining factor in the specifics of the digital diplomacy practices of these states towards the countries of the region. The empirical research process was divided into three stages. The first stage involved the collection and analysis of primary data from the social network Twitter about the accounts of the USA and the PRC embassies in the Mediterranean countries. The second stage entailed a network analysis of the communication practices of the USA and Chinese embassies on Twitter. The third stage comprised a content analysis of the original hashtags used in the posts of the USA and the PRC embassy accounts.
Keywords:
PRC, USA, Mediterranean, public diplomacy, digital diplomacy, network analysis, content analysis
Downloads
References
Литература
Буторина, О. В. (2022), Структурная асимметрия — новая норма многополярного мира, в: Буторина, О. В. и Алексеенкова, Е. С. (ред.), Фактор Китая в Средиземноморье, М.: Инт Европы Российской академии наук, с. 7–17.
Litsas, S. N. (2020), The U.S. Facing the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Different Cases of China, Russia, and Turkey, in: Spyridon, N. L. (ed.), US Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cham: Springer, pp. 181–212.
Carafano, J. J. (2019), US Foreign Policy in the Mediterranean Region and How it Affects Other Actors, IE Med Mediterranean Yearbook. URL: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=ru&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=US+Foreign+Policy+in+the+Mediterranean+Region+and+How+it+Affects+Other+Actors+The+Euro-Mediterranean+Partnership+and+Other+Actors+&btnG= (дата обращения: 31.12.2023).
Пакулин, В. С. (2021), Инвестиционные проекты КНР в странах европейского Средиземноморья в рамках проекта «Пояс и путь», Вестник Томского государственного университета. История, № 70. c. 96–103.
Villegas, G. A. (2020), The Mediterranean Sea: maritime power, conflicts and strategies, İnstituto Espanol de Estudios Estrategicos. URL: https://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/docs_marco/2020/DIEEEM03_GUIABI_Mediterraneo-ENG.PDF (дата обращения: 31.12.2023).
Duarte, L., Albro, R. and Hershberg, E. (2022), Communicating Influence: China’s Messaging in Latin America and the Caribbean, CLALS Working Paper Series, no. 35. URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4061082 (дата обращения: 31.12.2023).
Haman, M. (2020), The use of Twitter by state leaders and its impact on the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, Heliyon, vol. 6, no. 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05540
Kuznetsov, N. and Liang, F. (2023), Digital diplomacy of USA and China in the era of datalization, Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Международные отношения, т. 16, вып. 2, c. 191–200.
Thunoe, M. and Nielbo, K. L. (2024), The initial digitalization of Chinese diplomacy (2019–2021): establishing global communication networks on Twitter, Journal of Contemporary China, vol. 33, no. 146, pp. 244–266.
China’s soft power is on the rise (2018), February 23. URL: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201802/23/WS5a8f59a9a3106e7dcc13d7b8.html (дата обращения: 31.12.2023).
Silver, L., Devlin, K. and Huang, C. (2020), Unfavorable views of China reach historic highs in many countries, Pew Research Center. URL: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/10/06/unfavorable-viewsof-china-reach-historic-highs-in-many-countries/ (дата обращения: 31.12.2023).
Chen, H., Zhu, Z., Qi, F., Ye, Y., Liu, Z., Sun, M. and Jin, J. (2020), Country image in COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of China, IEEE Transactions on Big Data, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 81–92.
Green, J. A. (2022), The rise of twiplomacy and the making of customary international law on Social media, Chinese Journal of International Law, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 1–53.
Гилл, Б. (2020), Дипломатия «волков-воинов» в Китае — работает ли она?, Россия в глобальной политике. URL: https://globalaffairs.ru/articles/diplomatiya-volkov-voinov/ (дата обращения: 31.12.2023).
Xiaolin, D. (2023), Domestic sources of China’s wolf-warrior diplomacy: individual incentive, institutional changes and diversionary strategies, The Pacific Review, pp. 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2023.2205163
Nagy, S. and Nguyen, H. (2020), Cowboy diplomacy meets wolf warrior diplomacy: All politics are local, Canadian Global Affairs Institute. URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_ id=3867238 (дата обращения: 31.12.2023).
Huang, Z. A. (2022), “Wolf Warrior” and China’s digital public diplomacy during the COVID-19 crisis, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 37–40.
Oloo, O. D. (2023), The implementation of the digital diplomacy of the United States, the UK, and China in Kenya, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, pp. 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-023-00316-3
Repnikova, M. and Chen, K. A. (2023), Asymmetrical discursive competition: China-United States digital diplomacy in Africa, International Communication Gazette, vol. 85, no. 1, pp. 15–31.
Huang, Z. A. and Wang, R. (2019), Building a network to “tell China stories well”: Chinese diplomatic communication strategies on Twitter, International Journal of Communication, vol. 13, pp. 2984–3007.
Цветкова, Н. А. и Сытник, А. Н. (2023), Цифровое противостояние США и КНР: экономическое и политическое измерения, Мировая экономика и международные отношения. Т. 67, № 11. С. 15–23.
Lovejoy, K., Waters, R. D. and Saxton, G. D. (2012), Engaging stakeholders through Twitter: How nonprofit organizations are getting more out of 140 characters or less, Public Relations Review, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 313–318.
Recuero, R., Zago, G., Bastos, M. T. and Araujo, R. (2015), Hashtags Functions in the Protests Across Brazil, Sage Open, vol. 5, no. 2, https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015586000
Ruiz-Soler, J. (2017), Twitter Research for Social Scientists: A Brief Introduction to the Benefits, Limitation sand Tools for Analysing Twitter Data, Revista Digitos. no. 3, pp. 17–31.
Huang, Z. A. and Arifon, O. (2018), La diplomatie publique chinoise sur Twitter: la fabrique d’une polyphonie harmonieuse, Hermes, La Revue, vol. 2, no. 81, pp. 45–53.
Sobel, M., Riffe, D. and Hester, J. B. (2016), Twitter diplomacy? A content analysis of eight US embassies’ Twitter feeds, The Journal of Social Media in Society, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 75–107.
References
Butorina, O. V. (2022), Structural Asymmetry — the New Normal of a Multipolar World, in: Butorina, O. V. and Alekseenkova, E. S. (eds), The China Factor in the Mediterranean, Мoscow: In-t Evropy Rossiiskoi akademii nauk publ., pp. 7–17. (In Russian)
Litsas, S. N. (2020), The U. S. Facing the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Different Cases of China, Russia, and Turkey, in: Spyridon, N. L. (ed.), US Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cham: Springer, pp. 181–212.
Carafano, J. J. (2019), US Foreign Policy in the Mediterranean Region and How it Affects Other Actors, IE Med Mediterranean Yearbook. Available at: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=ru&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=US+Foreign+Policy+in+the+Mediterranean+Region+and+How+it+Affects+Other+Actors+The+Euro-Mediterranean+Partnership+and+Other+Actors+&btnG= (accessed: 31.12.2023).
Pakulin, V. S. (2021), China’s investment projects in the European Mediterranean countries within the framework of “Belt and Road”, Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Istoriia, no. 70, pp. 96–103. (In Russian)
Villegas, G. A. (2020), The Mediterranean Sea: Maritime power, conflicts and strategies, İnstituto Espanol de Estudios Estrategicos. Available at: https://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/docs_marco/2020/DIEEEM03_GUIABI_Mediterraneo-ENG.PDF (accessed: 31.12.2023).
Duarte, L., Albro, R. and Hershberg, E. (2022), Communicating Influence: China’s Messaging in Latin America and the Caribbean, CLALS Working Paper Series, no. 35. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4061082 (accessed: 31.12.2023).
Haman, M. (2020), The use of Twitter by state leaders and its impact on the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, Heliyon, vol. 6, no. 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05540
Kuznetsov, N. and Liang, F. (2023), Digital diplomacy of USA and China in the era of datalization, Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. International Relations, vol. 16, iss. 2, pp. 191–200.
Thunoe, M. and Nielbo, K. L. (2024), The initial digitalization of Chinese diplomacy (2019–2021): Еstablishing global communication networks on Twitter, Journal of Contemporary China, vol. 33, no. 146, pp. 244–266.
China’s soft power is on the rise (2018), February 23. Available at: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201802/23/WS5a8f59a9a3106e7dcc13d7b8.html (accessed: 31.12.2023).
Silver, L., Devlin, K. and Huang, C. (2020), Unfavorable views of China reach historic highs in many countries, Pew Research Center. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/10/06/unfavorableviews-of-china-reach-historic-highs-in-many-countries/ (accessed: 31.12.2023).
Chen, H., Zhu, Z., Qi, F., Ye, Y., Liu, Z., Sun, M. and Jin, J. (2020), Country image in COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of China, IEEE Transactions on Big Data, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 81–92.
Green, J. A. (2022), The rise of twiplomacy and the making of customary international law on Social media, Chinese Journal of International Law, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 1–53.
Gill, B. (2020), Wolf Warrior Diplomacy»: Is it Working for China?, Russia in Global Affairs. Available at: https://globalaffairs.ru/articles/diplomatiya-volkov-voinov/ (accessed: 31.12.2023). (In Russian)
Xiaolin, D. (2023), Domestic sources of China’s wolf-warrior diplomacy: individual incentive, institutional changes and diversionary strategies, The Pacific Review, pp. 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2023.2205163
Nagy, S. and Nguyen, H. (2020), Cowboy diplomacy meets wolf warrior diplomacy: All politics are local, Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3867238 (accessed: 31.12.2023).
Huang, Z. A. (2022), “Wolf Warrior” and China’s digital public diplomacy during the COVID-19 crisis, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 37–40.
Oloo, O. D. (2023), The implementation of the digital diplomacy of the United States, the UK, and China in Kenya, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, pp. 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-023-00316-3
Repnikova, M. and Chen, K. A. (2023), Asymmetrical discursive competition: China-United States digital diplomacy in Africa, International Communication Gazette, vol. 85, no. 1, pp. 15–31.
Huang, Z. A. and Wang, R. (2019), Building a network to “tell China stories well”: Chinese diplomatic communication strategies on Twitter, International Journal of Communication, vol. 13, pp. 2984–3007.
Tsvetkova, N. A. and Sytnik, A. N. (2023), Digital Confrontation between USA and China: Economic and Political Dimensions, Mirovaia ekonomika i mezhdunarodnye otnosheniia, vol. 67, no. 11, pp. 15–23. (In Russian)
Lovejoy, K., Waters, R. D. and Saxton, G. D. (2012), Engaging stakeholders through Twitter: How nonprofit organizations are getting more out of 140 characters or less, Public Relations Review, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 313–318.
Recuero, R., Zago, G., Bastos, M. T. and Araujo, R. (2015), Hashtags Functions in the Protests Across Brazil, Sage Open, vol. 5, no. 2, https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015586000
Ruiz-Soler, J. (2017), Twitter Research for Social Scientists: A Brief Introduction to the Benefits, Limitation sand Tools for Analysing Twitter Data, Revista Digitos, no. 3. pp. 17–31.
Huang, Z. A. and Arifon, O. (2018), La diplomatie publique chinoise sur Twitter: la fabrique d’une polyphonie harmonieuse, Hermes, La Revue, vol. 2, no. 81, pp. 45–53.
Sobel, M., Riffe, D. and Hester, J. B. (2016), Twitter diplomacy? A content analysis of eight US embassies’ Twitter feeds, The Journal of Social Media in Society, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 75–107.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. International relations" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.
