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Updated Thursday, February 9, 2012 11:36 am TWN, By Marianne Barriaux, AFP

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China's traditionally hard-line politics clash with soft power

BEIJING -- China's hard-line political stance, as shown by its veto of a U.N. resolution on Syria at the weekend, is increasingly clashing with the Asian powerhouse's efforts to improve its image abroad, analysts say.

Beijing and Moscow both came under a barrage of criticism for blocking the U.N. resolution condemning Damascus for its brutal crackdown on protests, with Washington calling their rejection a “travesty.”

Many saw the veto as a sign of Beijing's growing confidence in international affairs and a taste of things to come as China rapidly expands its global reach and becomes increasingly powerful.

But analysts said the veto was part of China's long-standing policy of non-interference in other nations' internal affairs.

“Beijing runs into repeated problems when national policy collides with improving China's image,” said Jonathan Fenby, head of the China team at research group Trusted Sources.

“That was the case with the jailing of the Nobel Peace prize winner (Liu Xiaobo) and now with the veto over Syria. China puts its national policy first including defense of 'core interests' and pays a price on the soft power side.”

The fact that the U.N. vote came just hours after Syrian troops were accused of killing hundreds of civilians only exacerbated the international uproar.

China has an unenviable reputation as an authoritarian state that represses freedom of expression and does not tolerate dissent.

Crackdowns on pro-democracy movements, and efforts to stamp out opposition movements in Tibetan and mostly-Muslim Uyghur areas have only cemented the view.

But conscious of this reputation, the one-party regime has poured billions of dollars into trying to improve its image abroad.

In 2009, Beijing announced a huge expansion of its state-run television CCTV, radio CRI and Xinhua News Agency abroad, with the latter renting a huge billboard on New York's Time Square.

It has also expanded its Confucius Institutes — designed to promote Chinese language and culture — with more than 640 outlets now scattered around the globe, including 350 in the United States alone.

Beijing's aid abroad rose by nearly 30 percent every year between 2004 and 2009, according to state media, and China builds infrastructure for poorer countries, such as the recent African Union headquarters in Ethiopia.

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