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Chileans in China and How They View Their Role in Public Diplomacy: Between Entrepreneurship and State Policies

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Latin American Diasporas in Public Diplomacy

Part of the book series: Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy ((GPD))

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Abstract

Since the Free Trade Agreement between China and Chile took effect in 2006, a Chilean business-led diaspora has been growing in mainland China. Using a qualitative thematic analysis, and through perspectives gathered during 19 semi-structured, in-depth interviews, this chapter describes this diaspora community’s characteristics, motivations, identities, and levels of social capital. It also explores its contributions to public diplomacy efforts promoted by the Chilean government in China. By doing this, this chapter avoids the traditional focus on the political dimensions of diasporas to instead explore business-centered state-diaspora interactions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This narrative of “conquistadores” is present in many of the interviews the main author has carried out with Chilean entrepreneurs and businesspeople.

  2. 2.

    See https://www.asexmacapacita.cl/estudiar-y-trabajar-en-china-una-tendencia-que-crece-entre-los-chilenos.

  3. 3.

    More information at https://www.subrei.gob.cl/2019/03/direcon-expone-sobre-beneficios-de-la-modernizacion-del-tlc-chile-china/.

  4. 4.

    The literature explains the importance of guanxi (connections, similar to the Latin American term compadrazgo) not only in business but as a culturally rooted Chinese behavior in which reciprocity and favors are important aspects of relational management. Regarding literature on guanxi and its importance in modern China, please see, among many, Su et al. (2007), Zaharna (2018) (to understand the importance of the relational layer in the concept) and Gold et al. (2002).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Claudia Labarca

  2. China Normal University/Study Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Philippe Werner-Wildner

Authors
  1. Claudia Labarca
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  2. Philippe Werner-Wildner
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Correspondence to Claudia Labarca .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communications, Elon University, Elon, NC, USA

    Vanessa Bravo

  2. College of Communication, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Maria De Moya

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Labarca, C., Werner-Wildner, P. (2021). Chileans in China and How They View Their Role in Public Diplomacy: Between Entrepreneurship and State Policies. In: Bravo, V., De Moya, M. (eds) Latin American Diasporas in Public Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74564-6_5

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