Strategic Multilingualism and the International Communication of Contemporary Chinese Diplomatic Thought: Discourse Power, Translation, and Global Governance Dialogue

Journal: Journal of Higher Education Research DOI: 10.32629/jher.v7i2.5137

Hao Cui

School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China

Abstract

This article examines how China's diplomatic thought in the new era is communicated internationally through multilingual translation, institutional platforms, and global governance dialogue. Drawing on discourse power, constructivist norm diffusion, and multilingual communication studies, it argues that the international circulation of Chinese diplomatic concepts should be understood as a process of conceptual mediation rather than as a simple one-way publicity activity. The article analyzes four major communication pathways: multilingual state media, multilateral diplomatic forums, academic and think-tank channels, and South-South communication networks. It further reassesses critical Western interpretations of China's international communication by distinguishing between legitimate analytical criticism and politically loaded assumptions about state-sponsored communication. The article concludes that the effectiveness of China's international communication depends not only on the coherence of its diplomatic concepts, but also on their capacity to be translated, localized, and institutionally sustained across different linguistic and cultural contexts. Strategic multilingualism, therefore, is not merely a technical instrument of external communication; it is an important means through which China participates in global governance dialogue and contributes to a more inclusive international discourse.

Keywords

contemporary Chinese diplomatic thought; international communication; strategic multilingualism; discourse power; global governance; translation; Community with a Shared Future for Humanity

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