China’s ‘Two Sessions’: allowing more academics to attend international events will help boost country’s image, says professor
- Jia Qingguo, a delegate to the CPPCC, says scholars can help by explaining the thinking behind policies
- The country’s international image has been hit by its handling of Covid-19 and policies towards Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan
Jia Qingguo, a professor at Peking University and delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, submitted a proposal to the advisory body calling for new incentives to encourage Chinese academics and retired diplomats to engage with foreign media and think tanks to better explain China’s policies.
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Jia admitted these negative perceptions posed an “exponential” challenge to the country’s foreign policy.
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“This situation is not conducive to creating a favourable international environment for our country to lead the international community in addressing regional and global challenges,” Jia wrote.
Beijing has often blamed biased Western narratives for the deterioration of its image in the world, but Jia said ineffective propaganda was also part of the reason.
According to Jia, Chinese scholars have rarely spoken out in international mainstream media, while experts and academics are seen “less and less” in international meetings.
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“The overall effect of media communication abroad is less than desirable, with more official foreign statements refuting external provocations and fewer pronouncements and explanations of our domestic and foreign policies,” he said.
Jia argued that excessive restrictions on overseas exchanges had hindered efforts to “tell China’s story well” – something President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called for – and changes needed to be made.
His suggestions included giving universities and think tanks more autonomy to decide who could attend international conferences rather than seeking approval from the central authorities.
Meanwhile, Jia said more effort should be made to tackle concerns about China’s domestic and foreign policies.
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He suggested officials in charge of foreign policymaking hold regular briefings so that experts and scholars were able to better understand the mindset behind the policies and help explain them to the world.
“Take effective measures to encourage experts and scholars to conduct foreign exchanges, including policy support for experts and scholars to organise international conferences, facilitate foreign exchanges by experts and scholars, and provide the necessary financial support for experts and scholars to conduct foreign exchanges when particularly needed, so that the voice of the Chinese people can be more easily and effectively disseminated abroad,” his proposal said.
