China's 'soft power' in North Macedonia

China is strengthening its soft power in the world, and North Macedonia is among the countries where it has an increasing influence, according to the latest research.

According to research by the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), China has a strong influence in North Macedonia, a country that ranks third among 17 Central and Eastern European countries, right behind Serbia and Bulgaria. The study shows that China has increased its influence without much effort or investment.

"The Communist Party of China has significant influence in North Macedonia", is the conclusion of the research by CEPA, a non-profit institution from Washington.

 

Countries outside the EU more susceptible to influence

The report indicates that countries outside the EU are more susceptible to Chinese influence, especially in the information space of the Balkans, while Beijing invests in infrastructure projects throughout the region.

And while Chinese influence in North Macedonia is growing, international relations experts believe that the perception of China among citizens is more abstract than real. According to their assessments, citizens see China as a country where delicious food is made, they know about the Great Wall of China, about the Chinese New Year or Chinese philosophy. They believe that the Communist Party of China skillfully uses this to cover up the disrespect of human rights.

At one point, China achieved its best result on the global "soft power" index. It came in fourth place, behind the USA, Great Britain and Germany and for the first time ahead of Japan as the highest ranked country in Asia.

"In the last ten years, since the election of Xi Jinping (Xi Jinping) as the seventh president of the People's Republic of China, we have attempted to transform the international structures throughout China, so that it could be established as a great power and presented as an alternative in terms of the system and governance of Western countries," comments Ana Kristinovska - author of the research "The blurring of tools and narratives of Chinese soft power" in North Macedonia.

The research was conducted by the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the ESTIMA organization operating in North Macedonia.

In the last four years, Macedonian citizens' perception of China has improved significantly, according to a survey by the National Democratic Institute from the United States. In 2018, 25 percent of respondents in North Macedonia had a positive opinion of China, while this percentage increased to 38 percent in 2021.

"This is, on the one hand, due to all the activities to strengthen soft power, but also the context itself in the last few years, above all the Covid-19 pandemic," says Kristinovska.

Although the media in North Macedonia publish little content about China, citizens' perception of the Chinese economy, business and trade is positive, explains Kristinovska. Citizens look with admiration at the Chinese economic miracle, and partly the opinion is emerging that North Macedonia depends on cheaper Chinese products.

The citizens of North Macedonia also have a positive perception of Chinese education and science and believe that the country is at the very top in terms of scientific achievements, as well as the discipline, dedication and professionalism of the Chinese. In terms of values, citizens believe that Chinese society is very conservative.

 

However, given the lack of content about China in the Macedonian media, citizens are not completely sure if what they know about China is correct, because they have the feeling that they are reading selective information. They, on the other hand, think differently about governance and the Chinese political system and believe that China is an authoritarian state in which human rights are not respected and that there is no democracy and pluralism.

"Macedonian citizens are largely aware that this is something that should not be viewed positively, but on the other hand, China is considered a country with good governance, with efficient institutions, and that is viewed positively," says Kristinovska.

As for international relations, adds Kristinovska, there is an awareness that Chinese diplomacy is big and strong. However, the data show that the perception about it is generally neutral and that citizens do not think that Chinese diplomacy has positive intentions and achievements to a large extent. This perception is linked to China's position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

China uses various tools to strengthen its influence in North Macedonia through "soft power", among them the publication of columns and articles by the Chinese ambassador, and content from Chinese media is transmitted mainly through Macedonian media that have contracts for content sharing.

Kristinovska's research shows that since 2019, the Embassy of China has been strengthening its presence on social networks, especially on Facebook.

 

What is 'soft power'?

The concept of soft power in political theory was defined in the seventies of the last century and analyzes the ability of a country to convince others to do what it wants, without the use of force or coercion.

The influence of soft power usually comes through a country's culture, political values and international politics, as factors that determine its attractiveness in the world and the ability to shape international policy without the use of force.

In the short term, "soft power" is used through publishing news, in the medium term, strategic messaging is done, and in the long term, lasting relationships are built. All these are among the main tools he uses for influence.

Research has shown that influence in the country is achieved through five associations, but especially through the activities of the Confucius Institute, which is considered one of the pillars of Chinese "soft power" in the country, which provides scholarships, training, research, but also through the signing of memorandums of cooperation, conferences and fairs.

In this direction, there is an increase in translation and publishing activities. Since 1978, 90 titles have been translated from Chinese to Macedonian, and 50 titles have been translated since 2018 alone, of which more than half are children's books.

"I think that what we are seeing now is only the beginning of Chinese investments in this direction, and this is primarily due to the fact that China is learning to a large extent how our region functions and how the democratic world functions in general," says Kristinovska.

 

Matrix of 'soft power'

Christopher Nehring, who teaches at the University of St. Kliment of Ohrid in Sofia, studied the influence of Chinese soft power in Bulgaria, talks about similar methods as in North Macedonia.

China's influence takes place through direct investments in infrastructure, telecommunications, media, academic facilities and through the Confucius Institute in Bulgaria. China is presented in a positive way through cultural programs. There are two institutes in the country, in Sofia and Veliko Trnovo, where non-transparent financing and propaganda discussions and publications are conducted, says Nering.

 

Through the "Belt and Road" project, China presents itself as a positive alternative to the Western liberal model, but also as a model of socialism - as an alternative to the Western model of democracy.

"As far as cooperation with the media is concerned, a newspaper is being created that has a special section for China and the content is immediately translated from English to Bulgarian. There are several such newspapers, which translate such articles and which, among other things, promote the Russian view of politics towards Southeast Europe "There is no criticism of Russia, we have anti-American propaganda and they state that Washington is to blame for the economic-political conflict between China and the USA," says Nehring.

 

"Sometimes", he adds, "there are also anti-capitalist narratives in terms of the Western world and the Chinese model is promoted". Nehrin states, however, that despite this, there is little public and political attention to China in Bulgaria, while the focus is currently on Russia.

 

China's intention to shape the world in its own way

The representative of the "Konrad Adenauer" Foundation in North Macedonia, Daniel Brown, says that China, together with the rapid implementation of projects in the economy and infrastructure, simultaneously imposed its "soft power", mainly through the Confucius Institute by promoting China's position in the world, as well as through university department in the region.

 

Brown believes that the European Union and its partner countries should be cautious and aware of the ideas offered by China, as different from those in the Union's educational system.

"The leader of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, said that this will be an age of challenges for China and that China is facing problems that they have not had in ages. How are we to understand it? I don't want to say that there is a word for our fantasy, but it means that China has a plan to shape the world in their own way, according to their world view, and we need to be aware of that," Brown said.

China's intention to shape the world in its own way should not surprise us, because every great power has the same intention, adds the author of research on Chinese "soft power" Kristinovska.

China, as part of its promotional activities, adds Kristinovska, intentionally or unintentionally conveys the idea that its socio-political model, which represents an authoritarian one-party state, without pluralism and freedom of expression and protection of civil rights, is a model that leads to progress and economic development.

Kristinovska, the author of the research on Chinese "soft power", says that it is precisely in this area that one needs to be careful.