Abstract
The institution of the Chinese MFA spokesperson system is used as an example to showcase the evolution and challenges of diplomacy in a globalizing world. While the answers given and the news released by the MFA spokesperson at regular press conference are the official views on China’s foreign policy and diplomacy, the cases that MFA spokesperson’s failure to offer answer to questions from the media have been on the rise. Content analysis of the transcripts of Chinese MFA spokesperson’s answers at its regular press conference reveals the challenges to the Chinese MFA mainly come from such fields as economic affairs, military affairs, DPRK-related affairs, consular affairs, summit diplomacy, and so on. The challenges facing the Chinese MFA share features in common with its counterparts around the globe, but the measures taken by the Chinese government to address them demonstrate more “Chinese characteristics,” that is, enhancing the Chinese Communist Party’s centralized, unified, and absolute leadership over China’s diplomacy.
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Notes
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“Special Issue: China’s Global Diplomacy.” 2021. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy 16, nos. 2–3.
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Zhang, Q., Yang, L. (2023). Withering Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Evidence from China. In: Hare, P.W., Manfredi-Sánchez, J.L., Weisbrode, K. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Diplomatic Reform and Innovation. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10971-3_8
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