Chinese soft power promotion amid growing negative perceptions of China

For years, Chinese soft power promotion in Denmark has been spearheaded by the Chinese embassy and Confucius institutes, whose outreach activities largely follow a standardized formula based on China’s traditional culture as well as language programmes. However, the impact of these activities has been negligible, as demonstrated by the increasingly negative popular, media and political perceptions of China in Denmark.

On behalf of DIIS, Andreas Bøje Forsby has contributed to a new ETNC report entitled “China's Soft Power in Europe: Falling on Hard Times”. In his chapter, Forsby examines what he calls “the hardships of Chinese soft power promotion in Denmark” over the past few years as exemplified by the closure of several Confucius Institutes and the failure of "panda diplomacy". Furthermore, the chapter documents the recent deterioration in political, media and popular perceptions of China in Denmark. 

In a broader European context, the comparative findings of the report show that Denmark belongs to a cluster of countries such as Sweden, France and Czechia where Chinese soft power “is clearly in a state of free fall.”