• Wolf Warrior Diplomacy and Chinese Soft Power: K-Pop as a Testing Ground

    Author(s):
    Yalın Akçevin (see profile)
    Date:
    2021
    Subject(s):
    China, Koreans--Social life and customs, Popular culture, International relations, Politics and culture
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Wolf Warrior Diplomacy, K-Pop, Soft Power, modern china, Korean culture, Cultural politics
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/kw5p-g310
    Abstract:
    Chinese diplomacy in 2020 has been observed as moving towards a more assertive and aggressive position, which has been branded “wolf warrior diplomacy”. Wolf warrior diplomacy is geared at employing a much more proactive approach in defending the image and position of China in the international arena, whose full effects and scope are yet to be analyzed in full. The interaction of such an assertive approach to diplomacy and the prospects of soft power that China has is one such aspect which invites further discussion. Aggressive authoritarian governments and soft power have historically not been a good combination and whether China will go down the same route under wolf warrior diplomacy still remains an open question. A possible case study for China’s soft power prospects under wolf warrior diplomacy can be found in the Chinese participation in and reaction to the socio-cultural space of K-Pop, which is increasingly global, mainstream, and democratic, functioning as a microcosm of the global liberal order that is currently in place. The aim of this study will be to build upon the existing literature and contribute to the closing of this analytical gap in understanding the possible futures of China’s soft power. To that end, this study will be taking recent cases in which China and K-Pop has come into contact over issues of politics and national symbolism, and look into the surrounding developments as indicators of the possible impact wolf warrior diplomacy will have in terms of soft power.
    Notes:
    I have deposited this as an "article", however, please note that this was a term paper written for a graduate course titled "History of Modern China". I have edited the file to remove any personal information - such as my student ID - and kept the body of the work intact in terms of content.
    Metadata:
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    2 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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