In a faculty research seminar at the School of Public Policy (SPP) at Central European University (CEU) on May 7, Visiting Professor Cobus van Staden presented his ongoing research on Chinese and Japanese media debacles in South Africa. He is particularly interested in how external perceptions of a country are shaped by its government and multinational media institutions.
To give context to this research, van Staden described the two competing models of Chinese and Japanese media-based nation branding in non-Asian emerging markets. The Chinese model of nation branding has been predominantly state-to-state interactions via state-owned and party-aligned media institutions like CCTV. Chinese media take a traditional, mainstream approach and provide news content relevant to local audiences while portraying China in a positive light. While Chinese media stations may not have high ratings, they reach target elite audiences in these foreign countries.
In contrast, the Japanese model of nation branding rides on the back of a wide range of commercial media focused on subcultures such as the otaku (“geek”) culture and fuelled by the internet. Popularized through viral distribution to consumers, the Japanese government embraced the power of commercialized pop culture and has been leveraging its influence as one form of soft power in foreign countries.
Van Staden presented two case studies to illustrate how these two models of public diplomacy can fail. One case concentrated on media uproar in South Africa following a decadent party thrown by South African tycoon Kenny Kunene. During a party at his home, Kunene was seen engaging in nyotaimori, the practice of eating sushi off half-naked women. News of the party sparked moral outrage among South African media, who quickly equated sushi with immoral overconsumption. “There’s little proof that nyotaimori is an ancient part of Japanese culture,” van Staden noted. “The local media’s strong reaction is an example of how the Japanese government is at times unable to control how its culture, which is an influential element of its soft power abroad, is perceived by others.”
Similarly, the Chinese government also experienced failure in its nation branding strategy. In South Africa, proponents of anti-poaching campaigns have strongly criticized China as a top market for illegal rhino horn and elephant ivory. The anti-poaching movement is steeped in “whiteness” and the emergence of a South African middle class, explained van Staden. He added that “anti-Chineseness” around poaching should be seen as part of how white South Africans try to overcome anxieties about belonging by claiming fundamental linkages with the South African landscape. Analyzing online comments on articles about poaching, van Staden identified a number of categories of negative reactions including xenophobia and blaming China’s close alignment with the South African government for the poaching crisis.
Van Staden will continue researching cases focusing on “moments of failure and the implications of soft power branding” as part of a larger book project.