Charm offensive: Gauging global public opinion on China's rise.

摘要

Despite the increasing debates on whether to see China's rise as threat or peaceful development, surprisingly little empirical analysis has been done to understand the factors influencing how the world views China. Recent international polls have tracked a significant public concern about China's growing prominence on the world stage, as its economy has expanded to become the second largest in the world. By wielding its hard and soft power, China also successfully cultivates an increasingly favorable national image to exert its political influence on international affairs. Facing China's challenge and the America's fading influence in the economic downturn, U.S. policy makers need to allocate the country's diplomatic resources more effectively and efficiently.;Using the 2008 Global Attitudes Project of 24-nation survey from the Pew Research Center, this study identifies the trends of global favorability towards China. The quantitative estimates show that the perceptions of China's hard power, the perceptions of China's soft power, home-country nationalism and certain demographics have a significant effect on enhancing favorable global public opinion on China's rise. The policy implications of findings provide foreign affairs practitioners with much needed guidance to generate proactive initiatives to engage China's rising power and shore up U.S. global leadership.