China's Influence Evaluation from the Perspective of Multidimensional Distances: A Case Study of Southeast Asian Countries

Abstract

National influence pertains to the encompassing evaluation and general impression of a given nation. As the Belt and Road Initiative celebrates its 10th anniversary, it is necessary to deepen the understanding its achievements by analyzing China's national influence. Using data from the Overseas Chinese Enterprises and Employees Comprehensive Survey in Southeast Asia, this study employed the entropy method to calculate China's level of influence. Additionally, it analyzed the significant role played by multidimensional distance factors. The findings revealed that China's influence surpasses that of the United States among most Southeast Asian countries. The citizens of Singapore and Malaysia rate China's influence the highest, while those in the Philippines and Myanmar rate it the lowest. The impact disparity between China and the United States is the greatest in Malaysia, and is smallest in the Philippines. The regression analysis indicates that China's influence is impeded by economic, institutional, and social distance. Specifically, there is a negative correlation between the degree of economic gap and institutional differences with the evaluation of China's influence. Moreover, the lower the degree of acceptance of the Chinese people in Southeast Asia, the less likely they are to view China's influence positively. These findings imply similar patterns in the Southeast Asian evaluation of China's influence that is closely related to economic and institutional differences. Geographic distance and cultural proximity may enhance individuals' perception of China's influence to a limited extent. However, the effect of geographical distance within the same region is relatively negligible, and the promotion effect of cultural distance is not robust, this defies the notion that spatial and cultural proximity to China can improve the manner in which people evaluate China's influence. In contrast, enjoying Chinese film and television productions, listening to Chinese music, and accessing information about China via the internet and new media can positively alter the perception of Southeast Asians toward China's overall impact. After accounting for potential measurement errors and the endogeneity of the key explanatory variables, the impact of multidimensional distance on the assessment of China's influence evaluation remains robust. Furthermore, there is clear individual variation in the effect of multidimensional distance on the evaluation of China's influence. Research indicates that geographical, economic, and social distance have a greater impact on low-income groups, while cultural and institutional distance have a greater effect on groups with higher evaluations of the United States. Geographical distance tends to narrow the gap in respondents' evaluations of China's influence, whereas economic and social distance tends to widen it. Therefore, China's influence can be enhanced by promoting trade and establishing friendly exchanges with Southeast Asian countries, and by increasing access to film and television productions.

Keywords

• china's influence
• national image
• multi-dimensional distance
• southeast asia