In recent years, the People’s Republic of China’s power has increased globally. However, China still experiences issues in relation to its soft power, which can be described as a country’s ability...Show moreIn recent years, the People’s Republic of China’s power has increased globally. However, China still experiences issues in relation to its soft power, which can be described as a country’s ability to attract and appeal through which one is able to persuade and get what they wish for. This recently has led to a deterioration of several of China’s bilateral relations, yet the Dutch government has expressed a desire to continue close cooperation with China. The 2019 Netherlands’ China policy calls for a more nuanced view of China and states that the Netherlands should cooperate with China where possible, while safeguarding the Netherlands interests and values. As China seems to have soft power issues within Western Europe, it can be questioned whether the policy actually aligns with the general perception of China within the Netherlands, as this alignment is generally expected within a democracy. In order to determine whether this is the case, a qualitative descriptive study has been conducted and a Dutch media content analysis has been performed. Research findings indicated that, while China was generally perceived negatively within the media and public opinion, the Netherlands’ China policy was much more neutral. Conclusions that can be drawn from these findings are that government policies may not necessarily reflect public opinion and that soft power might not actually be as important as frequently is assumed. Furthermore, it indicates that it might not be as important for a country like China to have soft power amongst the general public, as to be positively perceived within a country’s government.Show less
