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Chinese Soft Power through International Educational Exchanges: Chinese Government Scholarships to Cambodian Students

Muy, Hung (2022) COSM40 20221
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
This thesis set out to assess the role of Chinese government scholarship (CGS) scheme as a public diplomacy tool in enhancing Chinese soft power among Cambodian recipients. The objective was realised by employing a deductive qualitative approach with eight in-depth semistructured interviews. Rooted in Joseph Nye’s original concept of soft power with the awareness of the concept’s political nature, three sources of soft power – cultural values, political values, and foreign policies (Cambodia-China relations) – were operationalized in accordance with Chinese operationalization, attesting to China’s political goals, to formulate four sub-research questions and working hypotheses to guide the research.

The findings of the four hypotheses... (More)
This thesis set out to assess the role of Chinese government scholarship (CGS) scheme as a public diplomacy tool in enhancing Chinese soft power among Cambodian recipients. The objective was realised by employing a deductive qualitative approach with eight in-depth semistructured interviews. Rooted in Joseph Nye’s original concept of soft power with the awareness of the concept’s political nature, three sources of soft power – cultural values, political values, and foreign policies (Cambodia-China relations) – were operationalized in accordance with Chinese operationalization, attesting to China’s political goals, to formulate four sub-research questions and working hypotheses to guide the research.

The findings of the four hypotheses elaborated that CGS has helped China win the hearts of Cambodian recipients to a great extent in terms of better acceptance, improved perceptions, and more appreciation of Chinese cultural and political values, although it played less of a role in the students’ support for Cambodia-China bilateral relations. Their general impression of China as a country had also significantly improved after their studies. Even if the factors influencing public diplomacy are vast, the participants in the study suggested that they would not have felt the way they did after their time in China without the opportunity to study in the country. (Less)
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author
Muy, Hung
supervisor
organization
course
COSM40 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Soft power, Public diplomacy, International educational exchanges, Chinese government scholarships (CGS), Culture, Politics, Cambodia-China bilateral relations
language
English
id
9111290
date added to LUP
2023-02-22 14:27:17
date last changed
2023-02-22 14:27:17
@misc{9111290,
  abstract     = {{This thesis set out to assess the role of Chinese government scholarship (CGS) scheme as a public diplomacy tool in enhancing Chinese soft power among Cambodian recipients. The objective was realised by employing a deductive qualitative approach with eight in-depth semistructured interviews. Rooted in Joseph Nye’s original concept of soft power with the awareness of the concept’s political nature, three sources of soft power – cultural values, political values, and foreign policies (Cambodia-China relations) – were operationalized in accordance with Chinese operationalization, attesting to China’s political goals, to formulate four sub-research questions and working hypotheses to guide the research.

The findings of the four hypotheses elaborated that CGS has helped China win the hearts of Cambodian recipients to a great extent in terms of better acceptance, improved perceptions, and more appreciation of Chinese cultural and political values, although it played less of a role in the students’ support for Cambodia-China bilateral relations. Their general impression of China as a country had also significantly improved after their studies. Even if the factors influencing public diplomacy are vast, the participants in the study suggested that they would not have felt the way they did after their time in China without the opportunity to study in the country.}},
  author       = {{Muy, Hung}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Chinese Soft Power through International Educational Exchanges: Chinese Government Scholarships to Cambodian Students}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}