Competing for soft power : China's image making in Africa / Maria Repnikova

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Repnikova, Maria, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Soft power (Political science)--China.

Soft power (Political science).

China--Relations--Ethiopia.

China.

Ethiopia--Relations--China.

Ethiopia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026

Summary:

"Through the critical case study of Ethiopia, Maria Repnikova examines the ambitious but disjointed display of Chinese diplomatic influence in Africa. In doing so, she develops a new theoretical approach to understanding China's practice of soft power, identifying the core mechanisms as tangible enticement with material and experiential offerings, ideational promotion of values, visions, and governance practices, and censorial power over the production and dissemination of China narratives. Through in-depth field work, including interviews and focus groups, Repnikova builds a clear picture of the uneven implementation and reception of this image-making, in which Chinese messengers can improvise official agendas, and Ethiopian recipients can strategically appropriate and negotiate Chinese power. Contrary to popular claims about China replacing the West in the Global South, this innovative research reveals the successes, but also the inconsistencies and limitations of Chinese influence, as well as the ever-present shadow of the West in mediating soft-power encounters"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Introduction : grasping China’s uneven image-making

Africa in China’s quest for global image and recognition

Tangible enticement or the power of material offerings

Ideational power : not exporting a China model but legitimizing China’s path

Defensive image-making : guarding China narratives

Unintended synergies : the shared longing for the West

Conclusions and new research directions

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed June 18, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Repnikova, Maria Competing for soft power

ISBN:

9781009710275

1009710273

9781009710329

100971032X

OCLC:

1591603048

Publisher Number:

CIPO000377214

CIPO000381800

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license