Cultural diplomacy of the people's Republic of China in the Western Balkans: Serbia from a comparative perspective

The People's Republic of China has long sought to improve its image in the world through various and numerous forms of public and cultural diplomacy. Since China became one of the important and influential actors at international level, there was a need to change their perspective concerning others, but also to change the perspective of others concerning China. To achieve that, the People's Republic of China has begun to implement a proactive strategy of public and cultural diplomacy, which will promote it as a responsible great power and which will contribute to the formation of a positive narrative in international relations. The Chinese authorities, with several major initiatives involving economic, political and cultural strategies are seeking to improve and promote their country's image as a trusted political and economic partner. In the process, culture and cultural exchange are becoming one of China's most important tools for increasing its soft power. As these initiatives include the Western Balkans, and thus the Republic of Serbia, China, as elsewhere, uses various methods and instruments of cultural diplomacy, ranging from Confucius Institutes and academic cooperation to the internationalization of the Chinese media as well as Chinese presence in the media of these countries. Accordingly, the aim of the paper is to present and describe how these instruments work in the Western Balkans, and how they are applied in the Republic of Serbia in comparison with other countries in the region.