Shifts in China¡¯s economic and military power continue to produce dramatic headlines, but few recognize the changing nature and impact of China¡¯s internationally oriented discourse as a form of power.
Those that do tend to argue China still can¡¯t do soft power and communicates poorly with the outside world. On closer inspection, however, 2021 seems to have charted a subtle increase in China¡¯s ¡°discourse power.¡±
COP26 is a prime example. Despite facing international criticism due to Xi Jinping¡¯s physical absence and surging domestic coal consumption, China appears to have successfully employed discourse to set certain agendas at the conference. The concept of ¡°Ecological Civilization,¡± a slogan closely linked to Xi¡¯s leadership, found its way into many climate conversations. This followed the Kunming Declaration, signed by over 100 nations on Oct. 13, which enshrined Ecological Civilization as a ¡°Shared Future for All Life on Earth.¡± And on Nov. 1, the first day of COP26, the U.K. launched the Clean Green Initiative (CGI), which has clearly been informed by China¡¯s Belt Road Initiative (BRI).
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