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Authors: Vataniar Yagya, Head, Department of World Politics, School of International Relations, St.
Petersburg State University, Professor, Doctor of Science (History)
Li Mingfu, postgraduate student
IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, the outlines of interna-
tional relations have changed to a great extent and continue changing
under the impact, in particular, of "soft power" that different coun-
tries apply to achieve their aims on the world scene.
The top leaders of the PRC selected the Chinese language and cul-
ture as the main "soft power" instruments first of all because an in-
terest in China, its history, culture and tongue reached unheard-of
dimensions when the country had become part of the group of de-
veloped and influential states that could affect the fates of the
world,.
The aims outlined when the system of the Confucius institutes was
being developed and the experience it has acquired suggest that time
has come to look at them as China's "soft power" foreign policy instrument.
Today, the Confucius Institute runs branches in 125 countries (Russia being one of them); there
are 417 offices and 730 Confucius Classrooms.
Each country is guided by its national interests in everything it does on the international arena;
the same applies to cultural diplomacy and "soft power." This is true not only of the Confucius
Institute but also of the linguopolitical events carried out by the American Fulbright Program,
the British Council, the Alliance Française, the German Goethe Institute, the Russky Mir Foun-
dation, and the foundations of Saudi Arabia.
They differ from each other in many respects - structurally, ideologically, the levels of funding,
scopes of involvement, and methods - yet they address the same linguistic and cultural tasks as
the Confucius Institute.
China joined the general trend of using national tongues as an instrument of foreign policy and
cultural impact later than other countries, probably with the exception of Russia. At some point,
Russia had rejected the Soviet experience and suspended its cultural activities in other countries
only to come to its senses later and set up several state and public organizations.
In its determination to use the language and culture to promote its interests, Beijing left French,
Russian, Portuguese and other tongues far behind. Today, Chinese probably comes second after
English, yet there are reasons to believe that it will catch up with the language born in England.
The Confucius Institute as the vehicle of China's "soft power" contributes to the country's lin-
guistic and cultural diplomacy all over the world. The use of "soft power" in the relationships
with the rest of the world promotes integration of cultural and humanitarian interests of the
Chinese and other peoples.
The Confucius Institute: A "Soft Power" Factor in China's Foreign
Policy in the 21st Century