In-Person
Seminar

Discourse Power: How China Gains Global Influence

Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

How does China attract followers to its vision of international order? 

For more information, contact susan_lynch@hks.harvard.edu

China's Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly,
China's Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 28, 2024. 

Speaker:  Rachel Ann Hulvey, Postdoctoral Fellow, International Security Program

How does China attract followers to its vision of international order? Traditional international relations theory expects China to fail to achieve its motivation to shape international collaboration and attract support.

This seminar, grounded in sociological theory, introduces a framing theory of international influence focused on the impact of a rising power's image and frame. A rising power has an image problem that limits its ability to attract followers. By directing the focus to shared values through a strategy of framing, a rising power can raise support for its vision of order and gain the power to reform the status quo.

Using elite interviews in Shanghai and Beijing, the speaker describes China's approach of "discourse power" that uses the frame of cyber sovereignty to attract support for China's proposals. Using a mixed-methods approach to analyzing the development of order in cyberspace through UN voting patterns, the speaker tests the efficacy of China's approach using original UN Web TV data from international cybersecurity debates and an elite experiment with diplomats. 

The speaker finds that China's message of cyber sovereignty is a frame that allows China to overcome its image problem and mobilize support for changes from the status quo. As China asserts its voice, this research suggests the potential for change across other issue areas.

Admittance is on a first come–first served basis.  Tea and Coffee Provided.