Public diplomacy in Central America: the rise of the People’s Republic of China

This thesis contributes to the growing literature on public diplomacy by examining the role it plays in Chinese and Taiwanese relations with Central America. This is an innovative project given that most literature on the international affairs of Central America considers it either through the gaze of its colonial past or its relations with other parts of the Americas. As such, until now there has been no substantial published work, academic or otherwise, dedicated to Sino – Central American relations. Furthermore, by taking the public diplomacy approach, this research has expanded the boundaries of modern understanding of the term and the uses for which it can be deployed by a nation-state to help meet their domestic and international goals.
The research takes three neighbouring Central American Republics – Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala – and positions the public diplomacy practices being undertaken by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan within these nation-states amidst wider political communications debates on public diplomacy and the troubled relationship between the PRC and Taiwan. Beyond mapping the variety of forms public diplomacy can take, this research has been able to document the various motivations for performing that nation-states have, in particular, public diplomacy’s purpose beyond its engagement with foreign publics. The research is the result of observations and 33 interviews conducted in Central America with leading diplomats, civil servants, journalists and experts between 2010 and 2011.