China's digital diplomacy in Africa: the case of embassies in social networks

Abstract

This study examines the theory of digital diplomacy and focuses on its practical application by China in Africa in the 21st century, quantitatively and qualitatively analyzing the websites and account pages of Chinese embassies in Africa on Facebook and Twitter social networks. We used a quantitative method of analyzing social networks by calculating the level of audience engagement and other indicators (the number of reposts, likes, publications), a qualitative method of categorizing strategic narratives by 3 types (international system, national, problem-oriented). A detailed study of the accounts of embassies in 5 countries (South Africa, Congo, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Tanzania) on Facebook revealed the quantitative leadership of the Embassy in South Africa in terms of the number of publications, the qualitative superiority of the account of the Embassy in the Congo in terms of audience engagement and the largest number of likes and reposts in Tunisia. The account in South Africa is the most active in terms of publications within the sample, but users reacted more actively to the news of the Chinese embassies in Tunisia and the Congo. Most of the publications are positively colored, most of the most popular posts were about the pandemic, assistance from the PRC, cultural events and diplomatic meetings. The most common type of narrative in embassy accounts turned out to be problem-oriented, emphasizing the participants' solution of specific tasks and issues.