Last year, Stiftung Mercator staged a round-table discussion on the topic of “Cultural Diplomacy, China and the Roles of Foundations”. Following on from the event, a special publication has now appeared which picks up on and addresses in greater detail the topics and results of the round-table discussions.
As well as discussing the various definitions of the terms “soft power” and “cultural diplomacy”, the publication raises the question of what foundations can do in concrete terms to build trust between China and the West and to foster mutual understanding – both being important prerequisites for bridging what are in some cases widely divided political, economic and cultural interests that are indispensable if misunderstandings are to be avoided and conflicts resolved constructively. The publication contains texts contributed by Joseph S. Nye, Eberhard Sandschneider, Zhang Junhua, Wang Yiwei, Orville Schelland other authors.