Review of the Article by M. Fliegel and Z. Kříž “Beijing Style Soft Power: A Different Conceptualisation to the American Coinage”.

Abstract

This study presents an analytical review of the article "Beijing-style soft power: A different conceptualisation to the American coinage", published in 2020 by the China Report. The authors of the article - Czech researchers Michal Fliegel and Zdenyuk Kříž - compare the Chinese concept with the American model. This gives them a reason to argue that soft power is theorized by Chinese academics and policymakers in their own way. The main research method is a combination of component and discursive methods, which allows us to fully reflect the unique concept of China's soft power. Structural-functional, historical and comparative approaches are also applied. The studied issue is thoroughly analyzed by the Czech authors, the references of their article include the works of pioneer scientists in this field (both Western and Chinese). In the course of the study, the following scientific results are obtained: a historical analysis of transformation processes in the Chinese concept of soft power is carried out; the periodization of these processes is proposed; it is illustrated how China's soft power is based on ancient philosophy and basic socialist values promoted by the government; the modern vector of the political syntagma of China's soft power is characterized in comparison with the US paradigm. According to the Czech scientists, unlike in America, where soft power mainly develops freely, in China, it is highly centralized. It is concluded that the PRC, as a rising power, concentrates more on building domestic soft power, considering it primarily as a means of social development, which determines its significant differences from the American model.

Keywords

• soft power
• china
• usa
• conceptualization
• syntagma
• paradigm
• discourse analysis
• international relations