Beijing Turns to Soft Power as Washington Expands Central Asia Ties

Detailed summary

China is responding to a successful US push to raise its trade profile in Central Asia by launching a far-reaching information campaign to sway hearts and minds in Central Asia’s…

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China is responding to a successful US push to raise its trade profile in Central Asia by launching a far-reaching information campaign to sway hearts and minds in Central Asia’s most populous state.

In late October and early November, CGTN, China’s international broadcaster operated by the Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department, sponsored an unprecedented information campaign touting the PRC’s expansive ties with Uzbekistan. The PR blitz included roughly 70 articles and videos published in the Uzbek and Russian languages, each covering aspects of political, economic, cultural, and social ties between Uzbekistan and China. The items feature comments by Chinese and Uzbek officials, entrepreneurs, scholars, artists, and other individuals.

The media campaign targeted all segments of Uzbek society, promoting China as a nation that offers opportunities to do business, work, study, travel, and even pursue a marriage partner.

China is also intent on flattering Uzbek leaders: one segment in its information campaign featured coverage of the launch ceremony of a Chinese edition of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s book on Uzbekistan’s development.

In previous months, CGTN tended to publish and broadcast only a few items per month about Uzbekistan. As such, the recent barrage of content represents a major escalation of Beijing’s propaganda efforts.

The trigger for Beijing’s charm campaign seems to have been the October visit by US Secretary Marco Rubio and a delegation of US business executives to Samarkand. There, Rubio held talks with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian states that advanced efforts to build out a US-supported trans-Caspian trade network.

“The United States wants to be a strong partner in Central Asia, obviously rooted in this country, but also all the neighboring…

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