U.S. Public Diplomacy Towards China

“The US-China relationship is the critical driving force of contemporary world order, and public diplomacy is a vital tool for creating better understanding and reducing tensions between the two powers. Based on original research, this book is not only an important contribution to the academic literature on public diplomacy, but also an invaluable guide for analysts and policymakers in explaining why US cultural and education programs have had limited success, and how to improve them.”

- Amitav Acharya, Distinguished Professor, American University, USA

This book aims to understand public diplomacy by examining its practice. In particular, it focuses on the implementation of educational and exchange programs by the US Departments of State and Defense toward China. Implementation is the focal point of this study and is utilized both as a practical process and a methodology. It refers to the process of translating a public diplomacy policy goal—the specificorder given to a governmental institution in order to achieve a general foreign policy objective—into public diplomacy practices and impact. In addition, it refers to a research method that centers implementation and accepts the prerequisite of discretion from studies of policy implementation. This book maps out where and by whom implementation discretion is exercised in public diplomacy. It argues that public diplomacy is in the eye of the beholder, and that its meanings can vary significantly according to different actors. 

Di Wu is Assistant Professor at Tongji University, China. Her research sits at the intersection of foreign policy and strategic communication, with geographic interests in China and the US. Wu has published on soft power, public diplomacy, and US-China relations.