Cultural diplomacy of China as a tool of “soft power” influence on the system of international economic relations during the COVID-19 pandemic
The article is devoted to the topic of the use of "soft power" in the sphere of foreign economic activity, which is relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the post-coronacrisis perspective. The experience of China's cultural diplomacy is assessed. The novelty of the research is the focus on the "soft power" of the modern foreign economic strategy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including its tools such as national language and cuisine, sports, traditional medicine and animation, which are positively perceived by foreign consumers and contractors. The authors of the article substantiate the effectiveness of cultural diplomacy and the tools of "soft power" as forms of political and economic interaction with an unfriendly external environment in the current geopolitical confrontation in the system of world economic relations. The possibility of using the experience of cultural diplomacy of the PRC by other countries, including Russia, was emphasized. The article is addressed to researchers of "soft power", the economy and foreign economic activity of China, as well as the cultural industry of the Middle Kingdom, including researchers, teachers, students and postgraduates.