Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

2-2019

Abstract

Winston Churchill once said, ‘it is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.’ However, negotiations are particularly difficult when they are enmeshed in public opinion precommitments. The sharpest crisis between China and Vietnam in the last 30 years concerned the placement of a Chinese oil rig into contested waters in 2014. This study analyses the Chinese and Vietnamese propaganda efforts surrounding the crisis as examples of the instrumental use of propaganda in managing domestic public opinion on diplomatic crises. The article argues that despite very different approaches to public diplomacy during the crisis, both states were primarily concerned with avoiding escalation and ending the confrontation. The authors show how propaganda function as a pacifying device in dealing with rising domestic nationalism when executing a moderate foreign policy.

Keywords

media, territorial dispute, public opinion, China, Vietnam, nationalism

Discipline

Asian Studies | Political Science

Research Areas

Political Science

Publication

Journal of Contemporary China

Volume

28

Issue

119

First Page

712

Last Page

728

ISSN

1067-0564

Identifier

10.1080/10670564.2019.1580429

Publisher

Taylor & Francis (Routledge): SSH Titles

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2019.1580429

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