China’s cultural influence in Latin America remains understudied. While there are many good analyses of its rising economic heft in the Western Hemisphere, our understanding of China’s public diplomacy efforts and its cultural outreach is incipient.
With the aim of beginning to address this gap, American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) launched a research project to better illuminate China’s efforts to shape perceptions in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. The project “Communicating Influence: China’s Messaging in Latin America and the Caribbean” benefits from a network of CLALS-affiliated researchers based in the region. Currently in its final stages, researchers have uncovered important details about the future of China-LAC relations in a post-pandemic world and the media tools the Chinese state uses to shape public perceptions in the Western Hemisphere.
In a recent webinar entitled “Chinese Public Diplomacy in Brazil,” CLALS fellow Luiza Duarte was joined by professors Maurício Santoro (UERJ) and Matthew Taylor (AU) to debate some of the research findings as they pertain to Brazil. Here are three key takeaways from their conversation:
1. The COVID-19 global pandemic accelerated a debate about the role of China within Brazilian society.
As elsewhere, COVID-19 fueled extremism in Brazilian politics. Throughout the pandemic, President Jair Bolsonaro spread lies and misinformation regarding China and the country’s role in the global pandemic. Bolsonaro further complicated the already complex relationship between China and Brazil. He prompted a debate about the role of China as a partner and as a global powerhouse. Simultaneously, but in a different direction, many Brazilian authorities grew closer to China. For instance, a partnership between São Paulo’s Butantã Institute and the Chinese helped to advance a covid vaccine, ignoring Bolsonaro’s disapproval. Partly in consequence, China entered the Brazilian political debate as more than simply an economic partner, but also as a strategic and cultural partner.
2. Chinese public diplomacy is a state-level project.
Chinese diplomatic strategy towards Brazil is a vast and combined effort between state media outlets and Chinese embassies and consulates around the country. Chinese authorities published more than 50 op-eds in Brazilian newspapers in recent years, most signed by Chinese ambassadors. Additionally, most Chinese public figures acting in Latin America now use Twitter accounts to share their views of local politics, sometimes adding color to more staid diplomatic exchanges. For example, Chinese ambassador Yang Wanming used his personal Twitter account to exchange accusations and insults with congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the president’s son, about the origins of the Covid pandemic.
3. China uses novel tools, such as paid newspaper content, to shape perceptions and reach a broader audience.
Brazilian newspapers received a large influx of Chinese state-sponsored paid content in 2021. Unlike pamphlets or supplements, these articles read like regular newspaper articles but are, in fact, advertisements for the Chinese regime and its accomplishments. This tool has seldom been used in Brazil. For China, the articles appear aimed at counterbalancing negative content and perceptions circulating in Latin America’s largest media market.
To watch the full-length conversation in Portuguese, click here.
Image: Agência Brasil
