China’s Changing Soft Power: From State Institutions to Platforms, Products and Popular Culture

What does China’s global influence look like when it is no longer driven only by governments and traditional diplomatic institutions?

In this interview, Mapping Global China speaks with Shaoyu Yuan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Security, Conflict and Cybercrime at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, about the changing nature of Chinese soft power and the growing role of companies, digital platforms, consumer products and popular culture in shaping how China is encountered around the world.

Yuan discusses the shift from a traditionally top-down model of Chinese soft power — associated with initiatives such as Confucius Institutes and state media — toward what he describes as a “hybrid amplification model.” In this model, private companies, cultural industries, entertainment products and digital platforms can generate influence organically, while the Chinese state can subsequently amplify and incorporate successful products and cultural phenomena into broader narratives about China.

From TikTok and Chinese technology companies to Pop Mart, Black Myth: Wukong and the presence of Chinese brands and technologies at major global events such as the FIFA World Cup, the conversation explores how people may encounter China through everyday experiences rather than through explicitly political or diplomatic channels.

The interview also examines TikTok’s role in the global circulation of narratives about China. Yuan discusses his research comparing content and audience reactions on TikTok and YouTube, while also highlighting the difficulty of drawing conclusions about the intentions behind algorithmic content distribution.

Another central theme is the generational dimension of China’s changing global image. While older generations may have encountered China primarily through television, newspapers and traditional news media, younger audiences increasingly encounter China through social media, influencers, entertainment, consumer products and online communities.

The conversation then turns to one of the central challenges for Mapping Global China: how can soft power actually be mapped and measured? Yuan proposes looking beyond the physical presence of companies and cultural products to examine their effects — including changes in search interest, consumer behaviour and other forms of engagement following exposure to Chinese products or cultural phenomena.

Finally, Yuan discusses the potential future frontiers of Chinese soft power, including artificial intelligence, and considers how Chinese technological development, regulation and norms could shape global debates and the future of international influence.

This conversation offers a broader way of thinking about China’s global presence: not only through formal institutions and geopolitical relationships, but also through the products people use, the platforms they interact with, the entertainment they consume and the cultural experiences they encounter every day.