WANG Lili: Using New Quality Productivity to Promote the Digitization of Public Diplomacy

In September 2023, during his inspection and research tour in Heilongjiang, General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned the concept of “new quality productivity” for the first time. In January 2024, during the eleventh collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that developing new quality productivity is an intrinsic requirement and an important focal point for promoting high-quality development. New quality productivity is a type of productivity led by technological innovation, highlighting the innovative characteristics and integrative advantages of the digital era.

The world is currently undergoing unprecedented historical changes, marked by instability and continuous conflicts. Concurrently, with the accelerated iteration of digital infrastructure globally, digital technology has become the underlying logic for reconstructing and connecting elements of global politics, economics, and culture. Humanity is rapidly entering the era of digital civilization. In this historical and contemporary context, effectively leveraging new quality productivity and enhancing China’s communication and dialogue with the world through efficient digital public diplomacy has become a major strategic issue that China urgently needs to address.

Digital public diplomacy refers to a country’s government-led and policy-supported efforts, based on fully listening to and understanding public opinion, to engage in two-way dialogue and relationship building with foreign publics through diverse actors such as government think tanks, media, enterprises, and individuals, utilizing information dissemination channels and platforms provided by digital technology. Its purpose is to enhance understanding, build trust, and promote the formation of shared concepts. The main differences between digital public diplomacy and traditional public diplomacy lie in smoother information dissemination, more convenient dialogue and exchanges, and greater emphasis on recognizing, respecting, and responding to public opinion. The digitization of public diplomacy is both an irreversible iterative process and an inevitable result of technological evolution, and it vividly reflects the new quality productivity proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping in the field of public diplomacy and international communication.

(Translated by ZHANG Yuqing; Proofread by YANG Fanxin)