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Note: This article is from the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
China’s President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan (Photo: Reuters)
(by Tom Phillips, Daily Telegraph) SHANGHAI – Dubbed the “Carla Bruni of the East,” Peng Liyuan is a glamorous and wildly famous folk singer who also happens to be married to China’s most powerful man.
Now, on the eve of President Xi Jinping’s first official trip to the United States, China’s Communist Party leaders are hoping that Peng Liyuan, China’s new first lady, can help transform their country’s international image and boost Beijing’s long-standing quest for soft power.
When president Xi’s Air China Boeing 747 touches down in California [this] week, carrying him to an intimate two-day summit with Barack Obama, foreign policy experts will be looking for signs that the two leaders can forge a relationship that heralds a new era in relations between Washington and Beijing.
But among ordinary Chinese much of the focus is likely to be on the rapport – and fashion sense – shared by Michelle Obama and Ms. Peng, a 50-year-old People’s Liberation Army [PLA] soprano known for hits including “People From Our Village” and “On the Plains of Hope.”
China is not known for its first ladies and historically the wives of its presidents have rarely entered the limelight.
But just three months into her new role Ms. Peng has already smashed that mold, raising hopes at home that her globe-trotting can help recast the way in which China is seen by the world.
The PLA [People’s Liberation Army] singer has made a scintillating start. In March she sparked an online frenzy in China as micro-bloggers heaped praise on her unusually colorful dress sense during Mr. Xi’s first international missions to Russia, Tanzania, the Republic of Congo and South Africa.
“First lady’s radiance delights world and boosts soft power,” the communist government-run Global Times cooed after Ms. Peng’s first foreign excursion.
The overwhelmingly positive domestic reaction hinted at the first lady’s ability to curry favor for Mr. Xi at home and analysts believe Ms. Peng could prove an equally important asset overseas as Beijing seeks to match its indisputable economic and military might with a long-elusive touch of soft power.
Shen Dingli, a professor of international relations at Shanghai’s Fudan University, said the first lady…could be instrumental in showing the world China’s attractiveness.
“She is talented. She is presentable. She shows respect to others and expresses the desire to work harmoniously together,” he said. “The first lady has a graceful way of presenting the ways in which China is attractive.”
Few details of the June 7-8 summit in Rancho Mirage, California have been released but Ms. Peng’s presence at what the Chinese are calling the “Xi O meeting” was confirmed on Thursday by the Californian newspaper The Desert Sun.
Marcos Caramuru de Paiva, a veteran Brazilian diplomat whose country is often cited as a global expert in soft power, said Ms. Peng could play a leading role in winning foreign hearts and minds.
While Brazil had successfully deployed football and carnival as diplomatic weapons, China had failed to capitalize on its vibrant culture, said Mr. de Paiva, Brazil’s former consul in Shanghai.
“China tries to do this selectively, using the panda [But] they don’t know how to use their cultural assets. They find it hard to show this side [of themselves]. It’s incredible because their culture is so rich.”
Ms. Peng, he predicted, would help soften the Communist Party’s “heavy, bureaucratic face,” “The key is this lightness. If China can project lightness then it will be able to soften the world’s view of the country.”
Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without license. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from the Telegraph. Visit the website at telegraph.co.uk.
Questions
PLEASE NOTE: ”Answers by email” has ended for the school year. ”Answers” emails will resume on Sept. 3rd. The last daily posting to the website will be June 7th, and resume toward the end of August.
1. a) Who is Peng Liyuan? Be specific.
b) What do Chinese Communist party leaders hope she will do in her new role?
2. What will foreign policy experts look at when evaluating President Obama’s meeting with President Xi? How will the focus of ordinary Chinese citizens differ from that of the experts?
3. Define “soft power.”
4. What is the People’s Liberation Army? How is Peng Liyuan connected to the PLA?
5. Why do you think the Obama Administration has not released details of President Obama’s upcoming meeting with President Xi?
5. The Chinese (Communist) government routinely violates human rights and the religious and political freedom of its citizens. It was reported recently that the Chinese government actively works to commit cyberattacks against the U.S. government and military. Read the “Background” below on China’s government.
a) How would you respond to someone who is duped by Ms. Peng’s fashion sense and gracious demeanor into believing that the Chinese government can be trusted?
b) Do you think the Chinese government’s attempt at acquiring soft power will succeed? Explain your answer.
Background
SOFT POWER: A persuasive approach to international relations, typically involving the use of economic or cultural influence.
Soft Power is a concept developed by Joseph Nye of Harvard University to describe the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce, use force or give money as a means of persuasion. It is the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments. It arises from the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals, and policies.
THE PLA:
- The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the military arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the de facto armed forces of the People’s Republic of China, consisting of land, sea, strategic missile and air forces.
- The PLA is the world’s largest military force, with a strength of approximately 2,250,000 personnel.
From a NYPost and Washington Post May 29, 2013 report:
- Chinese hackers stole secret details of more than two dozen of America’s most advanced weapons systems, including missile defenses, fighter jets and combat ships, a Pentagon report disclosed.
- The cyber theft gives a huge boost to China’s defense industry and wipes out much of the US military edge in a potential showdown with Beijing, said stunned officials.
- “They just saved themselves 25 years of research. It’s nuts,” a senior military official told The Washington Post.
- The hackers targeted defense contractors and government agencies. “In many cases, they don’t know they’ve been hacked until the FBI comes knocking on the door,” the official said.
- Among systems compromised are the most advanced form of Patriot missile system, known as the PAC-3; the F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet; and the Army’s state-of-the-art Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile-defense system.
Read about the recently revealed Chinese government cyberattacks and hacking of U.S. military weapons info at:
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