Exercising soft power: China's self-portrayed and perceived images in the early twenty-first century

Chinese foreign policy was transformed from hard to soft power with the emphasis on the promotion of 'a harmonious world' in the 1990s. The transformation of Beijing's foreign policy and the international role saw a shift in its images reflected in Chinese and Western media. China has abandoned its long-held victim mentality, but adopted a great-power mentality and shared global responsibilities. Meanwhile, there is growing concern about whether China would be able to play a role as a responsible major power consistent with its international position. Based on soft power concept, this paper discuses Chinese foreign policy and the intended images conveyed by Beijing to the world. It investigates how the West interprets China's foreign policy and their perception of China. The study attempts to provide references for Beijing's image-rebuilding strategies and seeks to fill the gaps between China's image construction and its image deconstruction in the West.