Promoting China out of self-interest: Chinese diaspora diplomacy in Chile

ABSTRACT

Based on our fieldwork among the Chinese diaspora communities in Chile, this article on the diplomatic roles of diasporas challenges the conventional state-centric perspective on diplomacy. We propose that Chinese diasporas can carry out two core functions of diplomacy—the representation of and communication about a country—at the people-to-people level. Chinese diaspora diplomacy is fundamentally driven by diaspora members’ interest in improving their socioeconomic position in the host society and highly influenced by their intercultural skills. The diplomatic practices of diasporas are heterogeneous and often spontaneous, ranging from collective diplomacy channelled through diaspora associations to individual diplomacy through diasporic business activities and daily expressions. Although these activities do not necessarily involve adherence to the governing agenda of a political regime, they often strive to promote China in the host society. Nonetheless, their outcomes may sometimes be at odds with China’s interests.

KEYWORDS:

• Chinese diaspora
• diaspora diplomacy
• global governance
• representation and communication
• Chile

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the helpful suggestions and comments from Enze Han, Nicole Jenne, Loretta Kim, Jiaqi Liu, Aurel Niederberger, Francisco Urdinez, Wei Wang, the two anonymous reviewers, and editors of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Statham (2022) suggests us not to overstate the ease of migrants’ dual lives ‘here’ and ‘there’ or underestimate the roles of states and borders. Types of migration also matter.

2 Migrant transnationalism refers to ‘a range of practices and institutions linking migrants, people and organizations in their homelands or elsewhere in a diaspora’ (Vertovec 2009, 13).

3 Chinese ambassadors’ ranking is also an indicator of a country’s perceived importance for China. Only ambassadors stationed in 9 countries, e.g., the US, UK, and Russia, are at the deputy-minister level.

4 Interviews with diaspora leaders X and W and diaspora member M. We refer to our interviewees with the initial of their last name.

5 See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcmAA_-gVjo. Accessed July 27, 2020.

6 Tzu-ti 2019. ‘Chinese in Chile urinate, harass Taiwan restaurant for backing Hong Kong,’ Taiwan News, August 25, 2019, https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3767456. Accessed May 27, 2022.

7 See https://www.eldinamo.cl/actualidad/VIDEO--El-ataque-al-restaurante-8220Pollo-Chang8221-que-provoco-la-reaccion-de-Taiwan-20190825-0005.html. Accessed May 27, 2022.