CCTV and the race for soft power

By Dr. Xiaoling Zhang, Head of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Associate Professor in Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham. The Chinese official media outlets, especially the “Big Four” as Yang Jiechi the State Councillor calls them — Xinhua News Agency, Central China Television (CCTV), China Radio International (CRI), …

‘Too Much Politics Not Enough Tennis’, say bloggers.

By Dr.  David O’Brien, Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Last Thursday night 704 million people in China sat down to watch the same television programme. The annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala is by far the most watched television show in the world and though often mocked …

A world of shared influence

By Dr. Xiaoling Zhang, Head of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Associate Professor in Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham. Soft power has beguiled governments around the world. Appealingly, it serves national interests, cheaper than the exercise of hard power (money and force), at least in the short term, …

China’s Media Offensive in Africa

By Dr. Xiaoling Zhang, Head of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Associate Professor in Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham. China has accorded great importance to strategies of gaining a broader influence to accompany its significantly increased economic engagement with the world. Take Africa, for example. In addition to …

Is China Ready for a China-style World Order?

By Dr. Xiaoling Zhang, Head of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Associate Professor in Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham. Scholars and observers of China alike have noticed that with an increased sense of confidence, pride and ambition derived from its growing economic power, China is shifting away from …