Public diplomacy in a networked society: The Chinese government–NGO coalition network on acquired immune deficiency syndrome prevention

In the era of globalization, the line between domestic and international communication is becoming increasingly blurred. Public diplomacy communication is one such case. Public diplomacy has evolved from a focus on mass media to communication efforts to build transnational communication networks of relationships with respected international non-governmental organizations. This article explores how the Chinese government communicated with and collaborated with transnational human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome international non-governmental organizations. The findings of a network analysis of Chinese-international non-governmental organizations public diplomacy suggest that the Chinese government is strategically communicating with international organizations to help address a domestic issue. Additionally, the findings of a content analysis of international media coverage of China’s management of the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome issue suggest that more positive frames are occurring in the news. China is now viewed as making progress in its handling of the health crisis.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Revisiting public diplomacy in a postpandemic world: The need for a humanity-centered communication logic

International audienceProfessor R. S. Zaharna is a leading scholar in international communication and public diplomacy. She has witnessed the rapid development of public diplomacy since 2001 and has been committed to researching different communication logics in public diplomacy. In recent years, she has begun to explore the boundaries of public diplomacy theory, aiming to expand the conceptual scope of public diplomacy, advocating a relational shift in conventional public diplomacy studies, and reflecting on the limitations of the actor-centered approach in international communication. In this interview, Professor Zaharna shared her definition of public diplomacy and discussed how relations, connectivity, and interactivity will be indispensable in public diplomacy research and practice. She also analyzed the limitations of the actor-centered public diplomacy research and explained three communication logics in humanity-centered diplomacy. For her, humanity-centered public diplomacy responds to the needs of human societies, harnessing our capacity to collaborate in collective decision-making and problem-solving. In this case, communication is not about agency or control but about navigating the connectivity and interactivity made possible by digitalization, emphasizing horizontal social collaboration, and observing relational constellations and dynamics