The role of the media as a tool in Chinese foreign policy

Following the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949 until the beginning of the reform and opening up policies in 1979, the mass communication means (media) were directly controlled by the of the Communist Party of China. After the beginning of reform policies this situation has not changed at once and the developments towards a more open media were gradual. During the first 30 years of the PRC the Chinese media were deemed as nothing more than a propaganda tool for the ruling party. Yet 36 years of reform and opening up policies created a more nuanced media landscape in China On internatıonal arena the use of "hard power" such as military force, we are witnessing more extensive use of what is called the "soft power". In this paper we will see how Chinese soft power emerged and how it is being used. Since the Chinese madia cannot be regarded as a media free from government control, any treatment of chinese media as an instrument of foerign policiy must begin with a presentation of the structure of the Chinese statehood. We will therafter deal with the relations between the govenment organs and the media and later see the application of soft power.