How the Ukraine crisis is hurting China’s soft power ambitions

With its aggressive diplomacy, handling of Covid-19 and tightening grip on Hong Kong, China’s image abroad had already taken a battering
It’s stance on Ukraine hasn’t helped and Beijing must now distance itself from Moscow, and seek to negotiate a peace deal, to avoid further damaging its reputation

Lijia Zhang

Published: 1:30pm, 8 Apr 2022

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In Morocco recently, I discussed with a tour guide Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “We African countries are not strong enough to stand up to Putin,” he said ruefully. “Why hasn’t China condemned the invasion?”

“What do you think?” I asked. He replied that perhaps China cared only about ideology or wanted to benefit from the chaos. In the eyes of this Moroccan, China’s image has dimmed.

Dr Maria Repnikova of Georgia State University, an expert on China’s soft power, said that, “China’s soft power ambitions or attempts to build a more favourable image of itself globally, and in particular, in the West, have been somewhat derailed by Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

I couldn’t agree more. Even before this, China’s image had taken a hit. A 2020 Pew Research Centre survey found that unfavourable views of China were at historical highs in nine out of 14 advanced economies.

China’s poor image was put down to its increasingly aggressive diplomacy, Covid-19 handling, crackdown on Uygurs in Xinjiang, and the strangling of Hong Kong’s freedoms. Last June, another Pew survey of 17 developed countries found China’s image remained broadly negative.

Then came the Ukraine crisis. So far, China has failed to condemn the invasion, abstaining from key UN votes.

01:40

Images of civilian deaths in Bucha ‘very disturbing’, says China’s envoy to the UN

It claims to be neutral. Yet, its media coverage of what it calls Russia’s “special military operation” clearly reveals its leanings. There is little reporting of the terrible suffering of Ukrainian civilians or Ukraine’s courageous resistance. It parrots Russian disinformation such as America’s supposed support of biochemical labs in Ukraine and the nation’s so-called Nazification.

“China’s image has been damaged in the West, because of its stance on Ukraine,” said Repnikova, a Latvian native who speaks both Russian and Chinese. The damage has been less severe in the global South, she added, where “we see a number of elites also invoking similar narratives to China – narratives critical of the West or aimed at exposing Western hypocrisy”.

China points its finger squarely at the United States and Nato’s expansion for the Ukraine crisis.

It obviously cares about its reputation. President Xi Jinping has said he wants China’s image to be “credible, lovable and respectable”; China spends an estimated US$10 billion annually on soft power, establishing Confucius Institutes among other endeavours.

But what China is doing won’t help. In school, we all learned the principles of our country’s foreign policy, which include mutual respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other’s internal affairs. But Russia has just invaded Ukraine, a sovereign country, without provocation.

Why China is refusing to choose between Russia and Ukraine

True, China has expressed “deep grief”. Beijing has offered 5 million yuan (US$785,460) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine and will give an additional 10 million yuan; Taipei is donating NT$100 million (US$3.5 million), for starters. China has also made vague promises to facilitate dialogue for peace.

As the war drags on and evidence of apparent war crimes is gathered in Ukraine, China’s stance looks increasingly untenable.

03:11

Russian troops accused of war crimes after mass graves found in Bucha near Ukrainian capital

However, the US needs to stop taking the self-appointed moral high ground and criticising or threatening China if it wants Beijing to play a positive role. America does not offer enough carrots and swings its big stick too freely. An increasingly assertive China doesn’t want to be seen to be coerced. It has said repeatedly that it would handle the crisis in its own way.

Yet, it must act swiftly to save face and show the world it is a responsible power. If it can’t bring itself to condemn Russia, it must at least distance itself and refrain from offering help. It also needs to take a more proactive peace-brokering role; it is uniquely placed to do so. It can afford to push aside, even momentarily, its resentment of the US, which surely pales against the enormity of Ukraine’s crisis.

If China succeeds in reaching a peace deal, its reputation will enjoy a great leap forward; should it fail, the world would still appreciate the effort. Otherwise, its global image will suffer further.

In Morocco, people expressed deep concerns over the war. Some fear a third world war, with the US and the West on one side, and Russia, China and North Korea on the other.

Do Chinese leaders really want to be tied to those two nations?

Lijia Zhang is a rocket-factory worker turned social commentator, and the author of a novel, Lotus