From Chopsticks to Diplomacy: Understanding China’s Culture-centric Influence on Foreign Relations

044 – 17 April 2024 The authors' views are their own and do not represent the official position of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies of the S. [...] Cultural Renaissance in Contemporary China In the past few decades, with the success of China’s reforms, a state-supported campaign has been implemented to revive traditional culture in China. [...] Additionally, Xi's call for a stronger capacity to guide domestic public opinion and promote the international influence of Chinese culture underscores the strategic importance of culture in China’s foreign policy objectives. [...] The belief in China’s exceptionalism, rooted in its uninterrupted history, emboldens China to search for a unique “Chinese Way” of understanding international relations, challenging Western dominance of the existing global order. [...] As noted by Henry Kissinger, China has emerged as a non-Western challenger to the existing US-dominated order, not only in the political aspect but also in the cultural dimension.