Chinese Soft Power and Media Discussion and Updates

Randomuser said:

Pretty ironic.

Americans simps for China despite it being a one party state that opposes democracy and western ideas. It is technically an enemy of the west.

Meanwhile the entire west seems to hate everything to do with India now. This is despite India being a democracy and doing everything that westoids tell them.

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solarz said:

When you're rich and powerful, you can do anything you want and people will still like you.
When you're weak and poor, people will despise you whatever you do.
This is the fundamental truth.

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Randomuser said:

That's why I find the whole focus on soft power approach dumb.

The results speak for themselves first and then the soft power comes.

India tries to present itself as a guru to the world and it just pisses everyone off. A guru who can't even use toilets properly wants to boast how he knows what's best for you?

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SanWenYu said:

True soft power is like the velvet glove on an iron fist.

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azn_cyniq said:

If anything, it's the Indians who are seething. I see way more Indians hating on Xiaohongshu than white Republicans. I've known more than a couple of right-leaning white people who hated China but changed their minds after finding out that Chinese people didn't hate them back.

Unlike Chinese people, Indians worship white people. The thought of white people, especially white women, getting along with Chinese people drives many of them crazy LOL

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This development should not be viewed primarily as a risk but as a rare opportunity. In other words, the opportunities here far outweigh the risks. Therefore, our initial response should be to welcome TikTok refugees into China’s Xiaohongshu with an open mindset rather than being intimidated by the overwhelming wave of “refugees.”

[…]

In my personal view, the most appropriate response is to go with the flow, expand and strengthen our adaptability, and move towards becoming the center of the virtual internet world.

[…]

We should have confidence that, in this process, we can maintain a friendly environment for foreign users while retaining our own initiative, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of openness and security. If Xiaohongshu succeeds, it will provide a new platform for China and the outside world to jointly establish and explore common grassroots agendas.

The sudden influx of TikTok refugees into Xiaohongshu has occurred unexpectedly, and there will inevitably be a period of adjustment and response. However, our immediate reaction should be proactive, bold, and dynamic, taking advantage of this unique opportunity with flexibility and resilience.

As mentioned earlier, the influx of TikTok refugees into Xiaohongshu has been driven, in part, by a collective dissatisfaction in the United States over the ban on TikTok. This situation carries a degree of uncertainty. If Xiaohongshu appears hesitant, this wave of users could recede as quickly as it arrived. That would be a loss for Xiaohongshu and a missed opportunity for China’s entire internet sector. Retaining this wave of refugees is worth our careful consideration and effort.

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Luke Warmwar said:

Zichen Wang (formerly Xinhua, now Beijing-based NGO Centre for Globalisation and China) has rounded up and translated some interesting perspectives on his substack:

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Excerpts from Hu Xijin’s perspective:



On the other hand, there’s a pay walled article from The Information saying that regulators have directed XHS to hide English language content from Chinese users:

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GulfLander said:

What type of media is the information?

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Luke Warmwar said:

Looks to be a tech news site. The paywall strength suggests they focus on higher quality news, but I could be mistaken.

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proelite said:

They use llms to generate articles.

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