Threat perception in China's periphery: Encountering through cultural diplomacy

Subject Areas : International Relations

Fariborz Arghavani Pirsalami ^{1 *} , Farzaneh Pashaei ²

1 - استادیار روابط بین‌الملل و عضو هیئت علمی دانشگاه شیراز
2 - Shiraz University

Received: 2023-10-22 Accepted : 2024-07-29 Published : 2025-06-04

Keywords: threat perception, People&#039, s Republic of China, cultural diplomacy, soft power, China&#039, s periphery,

Abstract :

Various aspects of China's emergence as a leading power in the international arena have been assigned a part of international relations studies in the current world. This remarkable development and growth combined with things like historical experiences, border disputes and the ideology governing this country's political system has fueled threats from the People's Republic of China. Military, economic alliances and Sinophobic discourse are concrete manifestations of the perception of threat from China as evidence of this threat. The present study has investigated the cultural diplomacy of this country with the aim of investigating the efforts of the People's Republic of China to de-threat existing perceptions. The question of this research is based on how the cultural diplomacy of the People's Republic of China is used to remove the threat from this country. In this regard, the hypothesis is tested that the People's Republic of China, by refusing to turn ideology into an ideological matter, has chosen a favorable path in de-threating existing perceptions against itself in the form of cultural diplomacy. The results of this study show that Chinese political leaders have been successful in using cultural diplomacy in order to deal with threats by correctly understanding the concept of soft power and trying to create common values in their surrounding environment and refusing to turn ideology into an ideological issue. The method of this research in collecting materials and presenting it was based on the descriptive-explanatory method.