CULTURAL SOFT POWER IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: CONTRASTING IMAGES OF CHINA AND CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES IN BRITISH MEDIA DISCOURSE, POLICYMAKING AND PUBLIC RESPONSES (2013–2022)

In 2022 the Confucius Institute (CI), part of China's cultural outreach around the world, found itself at the centre of intense debate in the United Kingdom (UK). Its 30 branches on British university campuses became a symbol of a changed attitude towards a country that had been regarded as a partner, but was increasingly seen as a systemic challenge, or even a threat to national security. In this article, I posit the CI as the bellwether of the bilateral relationship over the past decade (2013–2022), contrasting its images as reflecting the dynamics in the British political environment and the UK's standing in a post-Brexit context. Via content analysis of British media representation of the CI, I interpret China's soft power through the lens of cultural diplomacy and analyse the emerging themes in the stories about CIs in the UK. I highlight the political divergence over attitudes towards the CIs' presence between England and Scotland and examine evidence of their influence in public life and among their target audiences. While CIs in the UK resisted threats of closure, the introduction of new policies in England prompted some distancing from these controversial outposts.