State of Mind

How effective is China’s twiplomacy in the global social media sphere? Studying the Twitter and Weibo accounts of five Chinese embassies in Europe revealed confusion and few coherent strategies.

As China reveled in its “victory” over COVID-19, internet users in the country seemed to relish finding fault with the rest of the world – and Europe was no exception.

Multilateralism has been central to pledges for future European-Chinese cooperation, particularly as the US has opted out of multilateral institutions. But look more closely and you find that the EU and China have sharply contrasting notions of what multilateralism actually means.

One of the most persistent myths about China is that its system works with great efficiency, enabling concerted action and long-term planning. But such rosy assessments overlook key costs – not least to the rights and protection of citizens.

Germans may celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall as a turning point for the country, and an end to repression and division. But in China's state media today, the wall is a symbol of US-China trade divisions. 

Perceptions of China are often driven by frames, or myths, that hinder our understanding of the facts. Where do these myths come from? And what assumptions are we making when we employ them? 

When it comes to Europe’s relationship with China, perceptions in the Chinese social media space could be too important to ignore.

The journey of “community of common destiny” to the center of China’s foreign policy lexicon has been years in the making.

Echowall speaks to Italian scholar Ivan Franceschini about Italy’s hopes for deeper engagement with China, one year after he penned an open letter objecting to the enthusiastically pro-China remarks of the country’s new junior minister for economic development, Michele Geraci.