英国对华数字公共外交的布局与策略

Discourse Strategy of British Digital Public Diplomacy Towards China

英国是最早开展数字公共外交实践的西方大国之一。英国主要借助互联网及微博、微信公众号、抖音等中国主流社交媒体平台,积极开展对华数字外交,形成全方位、多样化的新媒体宣传矩阵。英国新工党政府上台后,对华公共外交的战略倾向有所调整,显得更为务实和灵活。透过英国驻华机构新媒体账号的运作及其内容,结合英国工党新政府上台后的新动向,借助文本分析、话语分析和数据统计等可以发现,英国对华数字外交在议题分布与话语焦点上呈现出阶段性和一定的规律性。其话语焦点包括在“人文—环保—科研”领域彰显中英合作、软性重振英国形象、实施西方价值观浸润等。其在具体实践中采用了多元话语策略,包括构建多账号联动的宣传矩阵、锚定受众偏好与需求设定议题、追踪热点事件凸显话题标签、捕捉中国流行元素和文化元素、在数字化互动中采用本土化策略等。这些话语策略在一定程度上有助于其实现自身外交意图,但具有明显自诩的成分,需要审慎辨别和应对。

The UK is one of the first Western countries to practice digital public diplomacy on a global scale.The UK mainly relies on the Internet and China's mainstream social media platforms such as Weibo,We Chat public accounts,and Tik Tok to carry out digital diplomacy with China,forming a full-dimensional and diversified new media propaganda matrix.After the UK's new Labour government came into power in July 2024,there has been an adjustment in the strategic orientation of public diplomacy towards China,which appears to be more pragmatic and flexible.This article selects the new media accounts of British institutions in China as the research object,focusing particularly on the strategic adjustments after the new Labour government came to power.By employing research methods such as text analysis,discourse analysis and data statistics,the article obtains the rules of the topic distribution and discourse focus.The discourse focus of the UK's digital public diplomacy towards China includes highlighting the China–UK cooperation in the humanity,environmental protection,and scientific research fields,softly revitalizing the UK's national image,and long-term implementation of Western values infiltration.The UK's digital public diplomacy with China is divided into three stages,employing discourse strategies such as constructing an all-round publicity matrix,anchoring audience preferences to set agenda,tracking hot spots to create public opinion topics,finding popular and cultural elements in Chinese society,and strengthening interaction through localization strategies.As key tools in the UK's public diplomacy strategy,these discourse strategies have helped the UK to achieve its diplomatic intentions and enhance its international discourse power to a considerable extent.It would be prudent for China to exercise caution and adopt a measured response.