Transformation of digital diplomacy in the face of new challenges: A view from Washington and Beijing

Abstract

Globalization has created a new media landscape within which public diplomacy is implemented and has posed three challenges for practitioners of traditional public diplomacy. First, diplomats and foreign ministries have lost their monopoly on diplomatic communication as non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, activists, bloggers and even terrorist groups have been able to disseminate public diplomacy messages online. Second, the “new” actors in public diplomacy have transformed the digital world into a competitive arena in which multiple actors vie for the attention of digital audiences, attempting to influence their understanding of world events. Third, there has been a fragmentation of the public diplomacy audience into “selective influence networks.” How states adapt to these new conditions is of significant scientific interest. In the article, the authors compare the digital diplomacy strategies of the two largest actors in modern politics — the United States and China. Both official documents and practical steps, as well as discussions in the scientific community of the two countries are analyzed. The authors conclude that despite the fact that at the initial stages the digital diplomacy of the USA and the PRC differed both conceptually and instrumentally, due to digitalization and datification of international relations, states have to test various formats and tools that were not previously typical for them, react to opponents’ activity and constantly adjust their strategies. It can be concluded that in conditions of uncertainty, high competition and algorithm manipulation, the differences in digital diplomacy between the United States and China are becoming increasingly blurred.