Perceptions of China’s soft power: exploring the cognition wall through the case of the Confucius Institute

Soft power has become an essential tool for nations to enhance their international images and promote cultural values, yet its impact on individual perceptions of a country’s culture and society remains uncharted. While China’s cultural diplomacy and soft power images have been extensively researched by the academic community, the impact of such strategies on the minds of its global audience, focusing on the individual’s psychological cognition, is a challenging and underexplored topic. Taking the Confucius Institute as a case study, this research critically assesses the effectiveness of China’s state-led soft power strategy in influencing global perceptions. By comparing Joseph Nye’s social-led soft power concept from a U.S. perspective and Huning Wang’s state-led approach from China, this study hypothesizes that China’s soft power strategies might be counterproductive at the cognitive level. Following Nye’s theories, our findings reveal that China’s cultural promotion programs are perceived negatively and deemed inefficient. This study provides fresh insights into the complexities of soft power dynamics by examining micro-level individual perceptions and their broader implications for macro-level international relations. This underscores the significant challenges that China’s current soft power approach faces and the necessity for a strategic re-evaluation to enhance its global influence.