Enhancing the Communication Power and Influence of Chinese Civilization

Cultural prosperity and flourishing are an important hallmark of Chinese-path modernization. Developing a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics for a New Era that possesses strong ideological guiding power, spiritual cohesion, value appeal, and international influence, and solidly advancing the building of a culturally strong country, are inherent requirements for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. The Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, reviewed and approved at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, held in July 2025, focused on comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization. The “15th Five-Year Plan” refers to the period 2026–2030., sets forth the strategic task of “stimulating the cultural innovation and creativity of the entire nation to prosper and develop socialist culture,” and emphasizes “enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization.” This provides scientific guidance for us to continuously strengthen national soft power and elevate international discourse power.

文化繁荣兴盛是中国式现代化的重要标志。发展具有强大思想引领力、精神凝聚力、价值感召力、国际影响力的新时代中国特色社会主义文化，扎实推进文化强国建设，是全面建成社会主义现代化强国的题中应有之义。党的二十届四中全会审议通过的《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》提出“激发全民族文化创新创造活力，繁荣发展社会主义文化”的战略任务，强调“提升中华文明传播力影响力”，为我们接续增强国家软实力、提升国际话语权提供了科学指引。

1. Building a Chinese Discourse System and Chinese Narrative System

1.构建中国话语和中国叙事体系

Building a Chinese discourse system and Chinese narrative system aims to actively set agendas and topics, innovate modes of discourse expression, proactively present China’s propositions, disseminate Chinese culture, and showcase China’s image, using Chinese narratives to respond to Western biases, using Chinese discourse to break free from Western constraints, and using Chinese solutions to enhance international cooperation.

构建中国话语和中国叙事体系，旨在通过主动设置议题话题，创新话语表达方式，主动宣介中国主张、传播中华文化、展示中国形象，用中国叙事回应西方偏见、用中国话语破除西方禁锢、用中国方案增进国际合作。

Upholding the stance of Chinese culture. At present, the changes unseen in a century in the world are accelerating, and exchanges, integration, and confrontations among diverse world civilizations are becoming increasingly frequent. In this process, we still face risks and challenges such as Western cultural hegemony, the impact of pluralistic values, covert cultural erosion in cyberspace, and technological cultural security risks. The essence of many of these risks and challenges is capital using cultural symbols to carry out ideological colonization, aiming to promote Western values and institutional models and conduct ideological infiltration. For any culture to stand firm and go far, to have guiding power, cohesion, shaping power, and radiating power, it must have its own subjectivity. Upholding the stance of Chinese culture and consolidating cultural subjectivity are key to resisting the penetration and impact of Western culture, and are also the prerequisite and foundation for building a Chinese discourse system and Chinese narrative system and enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization. To this end, we should elevate the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, establish a civilizational stance and identity, consciously guard against and resist the erosion of “cultural colonization” and erroneous ideological trends, resist cultural hegemony and ideological infiltration, and use effective mechanisms and means to address the cultural challenges brought by economic globalization, thereby effectively safeguarding China’s ideological security and political security.

坚守中华文化立场。当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，世界多元文明之间的交流交融交锋愈发频繁，在此过程中我们仍然面临西方文化霸权、多元价值观冲击、网络空间文化隐蔽侵蚀、技术性文化安全隐患等风险挑战，其中很多风险挑战的实质是资本借助文化符号推行思想殖民，以达到推销西方价值观和制度模式、进行意识形态渗透等目的。任何文化要立得住、行得远，要有引领力、凝聚力、塑造力、辐射力，就必须有自己的主体性。坚守中华文化立场、巩固文化主体性是抵御西方文化渗透冲击的关键所在，也是构建中国话语和中国叙事体系、提升中华文明传播力影响力的前提基础。为此，应高扬中华民族的文化主体性，确立文明立场和身份认同，自觉警惕和抵制“文化殖民”和错误思潮侵蚀，抵御文化霸权和意识形态渗透，以有效机制手段应对经济全球化带来的文化层面的挑战，切实维护我国意识形态安全和政治安全。

Building a system of symbols for Chinese civilization. The symbols of Chinese civilization are important signs and cultural carriers of Chinese culture, significant for enhancing the pride and cohesion of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Chinese civilization, with its long and profound history, is the unique spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation, the foundation of contemporary Chinese culture, the spiritual bond that unites Chinese people worldwide, and a treasure for China’s cultural innovation.” “The excellent traditional Chinese culture nurtured over more than 5,000 years of civilizational development, the revolutionary culture cultivated in the great struggles of the Party and the people, and the advanced socialist culture represent the deepest spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation and the unique spiritual symbols of the Chinese nation.” An important aspect of building a Chinese discourse system and Chinese narrative system is to refine and display vivid and profound spiritual symbols of Chinese civilization, construct a systematic, complete, comprehensive, and three-dimensional system of symbols for Chinese civilization, highlight the core connotations of Chinese civilization, and reflect its prominent continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. This presents to the world the unique values and spiritual pursuits of the Chinese people contained therein, the genes and codes of the Chinese nation’s continuous development that are condensed, deeply excavates and elucidates the inner essence of Chinese civilization, continuously expands the international influence of Chinese culture, and promotes exchanges and mutual learning among human civilizations.

构建中华文明标识体系。中华文明标识是中华文化的重要符号和文化载体，对于增强中华民族自豪感和凝聚力具有重要意义。习近平总书记指出：“中华文明源远流长、博大精深，是中华民族独特的精神标识，是当代中国文化的根基，是维系全世界华人的精神纽带，也是中国文化创新的宝藏。”“在5000多年文明发展中孕育的中华优秀传统文化，在党和人民伟大斗争中孕育的革命文化和社会主义先进文化，积淀着中华民族最深沉的精神追求，代表着中华民族独特的精神标识。”构建中国话语和中国叙事体系的一个重要方面，就是提炼展示形象生动、内涵深刻的中华文明精神标识，构建系统完整、全面立体的中华文明标识体系，彰显中华文明的核心内涵，体现中华文明突出的连续性、创新性、统一性、包容性与和平性，向世界呈现其中蕴含的中国人独特的价值观和精神追求、凝结的中华民族绵延发展的基因和密码，深入挖掘和阐发中华文明的内在精髓，不断扩大中华文化的国际影响力，促进人类文明交流互鉴。

Comprehensively enhancing international discourse power. Fully leverage the role of China’s philosophy and social sciences in discourse system construction to form an international discourse power commensurate with China’s comprehensive national strength and international status. Create new concepts, categories, and expressions that integrate Chinese and foreign elements, guiding the international academic community to conduct research and discussion. Strengthen the layout of international academia, encourage philosophy and social science institutions to participate in and establish international academic organizations, actively establish overseas Chinese academic research institutions, enhance exchanges between domestic and foreign think tanks, support foreign societies and foundations in researching China’s issues, concepts, practices, and experiences, and promote overseas Sinology studies. Focus on issues of common concern to the international community, launch and lead research projects, and enhance the international influence of China’s philosophy and social science research. Support Chinese scholars in participating in international academic conferences and publishing academic articles, and promote high-level research results abroad. Tell China’s stories well, better disseminate China’s path, system, concepts, and culture, turn Chinese viewpoints into global vocabulary and international consensus, more fully and vividly present the ideological and spiritual power behind China’s stories, and vividly depict a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China.

全面提升国际话语权。充分发挥我国哲学社会科学在话语体系建设中的作用，形成同我国综合国力、国际地位相匹配的国际话语权。打造融通中外的新概念、新范畴、新表述，引导国际学术界展开研究和讨论。加强国际学术布局，鼓励哲学社会科学机构参与和设立国际性学术组织，积极建立海外中国学术研究机构，加强国内外智库交流，支持国外学会、基金会等研究中国问题、中国理念、中国实践、中国经验，推动海外中国学研究。聚焦国际社会共同关注的问题，推出并牵头组织研究项目，增强我国哲学社会科学研究的国际影响力。支持我国学者参加国际学术会议、发表学术文章，面向国外推介高水平研究成果。讲好中国故事，更好地传播中国道路、中国制度、中国理念、中国文化，让中国观点变成世界词汇、成为国际共识，更加充分、更加鲜明地展现中国故事及其背后的思想力量和精神力量，生动展现可信、可爱、可敬的中国形象。

2. Building a More Effective International Communication System

2.构建更有效力的国际传播体系

The international communication system is an important carrier for enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization. Enhancing international communication capacity is a systematic project, the key to which lies in breaking the existing international public opinion pattern dominated by Western countries through resource integration, mechanism optimization, and form reshaping, and establishing an international communication system that matches China’s international status, comprehensive national strength, and the responsibility of a major country.

国际传播体系是提升中华文明传播力影响力的重要载体。增强国际传播能力是一个系统工程，其关键在于通过资源整合、机制优化、形态重塑，打破既有的以西方国家为主导的国际舆论格局，建立起与中国国际地位、综合国力、大国担当相匹配的国际传播体系。

Improving international communication systems and mechanisms. Enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization is a common task for the entire Party and society. Carrying out this work requires improving the leadership and management systems and mechanisms for international communication work, and doing a good job in planning and design, overall coordination, task division, supervision, and implementation. Establish and improve the responsibility mechanism for international communication work. Party committees and governments at all levels should place the building of international communication capacity in an important position, effectively strengthen organizational leadership, do a good job in cadre deployment, talent cultivation, resource investment, and other work, mobilize the initiative, creativity, and enthusiasm of all regions, departments, and sectors to jointly participate in international communication work, and gather a strong joint force for doing international communication work well. Strengthen the construction of key bases for international communication, further improve the pattern of grand external propaganda, carry out more precise international communication, tell China’s stories well with vivid Chinese practices, and comprehensively and systematically present China’s propositions, disseminate Chinese culture, and showcase China’s image.

完善国际传播体制机制。提升中华文明传播力影响力是全党全社会的共同任务。做好这项工作，要求完善国际传播工作领导管理体制机制，搞好规划设计、统筹协调、任务分工、督促落实。建立健全国际传播工作责任机制，各级党委和政府要把国际传播能力建设摆在重要位置，切实加强组织领导，做好干部配备、人才培养、资源投入等工作，调动各地区各部门各方面共同参与国际传播工作的积极性主动性创造性，汇聚起做好国际传播工作的强大合力。加强国际传播重点基地建设，进一步完善大外宣格局，开展更为精准的国际传播，以生动的中国实践讲好中国故事，全面系统宣介中国主张、传播中华文化、展示中国形象。

Promoting the restructuring of the international communication landscape. Explore diversified forms of international communication to avoid simplification, formalization, and rigidity. Increase the overall coordination of external propaganda work, integrate various resources, promote the integrated development of internal and external propaganda, innovate in conducting online external propaganda, and build a multi-channel, three-dimensional external communication pattern. Grasp the trends of mobilization, socialization, and visualization in the field of international communication, adapt to the development and evolution of digital technology, fully utilize the latest achievements in artificial intelligence and other technologies, leverage their characteristics of precision, personalization, and customization, expand communication channels through digital technology empowerment, enrich content expression forms, promote cross-media organic integration, and continuously enhance communication power, guiding power, influence, and credibility. Adopt precise communication methods tailored to different regions, countries, and audiences, promote the globalization, regionalization, and segmentation of China’s stories and voices, enhance the affinity and effectiveness of international communication, and ensure that more foreign audiences can understand, accept, and comprehend.

推进国际传播格局重构。探索多元化的国际传播形式，避免单一化、形式化、固定化。加大外宣工作统筹协调力度，整合各类资源，推动内宣外宣一体发展，创新开展网络外宣，构建多渠道、立体式对外传播格局。把握国际传播领域移动化、社交化、可视化趋势，顺应数字技术发展和演进态势，充分利用人工智能等技术发展最新成果，借助其精准化、个性化、定制化的特点，通过数字技术赋能扩展传播渠道、丰富内容表现形式、促进跨媒介有机融合，不断提升传播力、引导力、影响力、公信力。采用贴近不同区域、不同国家、不同受众的精准传播方式，推进中国故事和中国声音的全球化表达、区域化表达、分众化表达，增强国际传播的亲和力和实效性，让更多国外受众听得懂、听得进、听得明白。

Foster a proactive communication posture. Focus on cultivating professional talents who are not only familiar with China’s historical and cultural traditions, economic and social development, and the Party’s and state’s policies, but also proficient in foreign languages, well-versed in international rules, and possess a global vision and strategic thinking. Let them take the initiative to speak internationally, engage effectively in cross-cultural communication, openly and honestly provide the world with cognitive supply about China, and continuously enhance understanding of China by presenting facts and reasoning. Make friends widely, unite and win over the majority, and constantly expand the international public opinion circle of those who know and befriend China. Use platforms and channels such as important international conferences, forums, and foreign mainstream media to speak out, and through “academia going global,” forcefully break Western discursive hegemony, promoting the international dissemination of China’s voice through academic diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy. In response to focal points of international public opinion, compile concise, scholarly, and communicable readers, publish them overseas in multiple languages, refute international fallacies in plain and understandable language, restore historical truth, issue China’s correct voice, and guide overseas public opinion back to the right track. Pay attention to leveraging the role of think tanks, fully demonstrating their constructive roles in researching international issues, setting international agendas, guiding international public opinion, enhancing international exchanges, participating in global governance, and influencing foreign-related public policies.

营造积极主动的传播态势。注重培养既熟悉我国历史文化传统、经济社会发展情况、党和国家方针政策，又能熟练运用外语、通晓国际规则、具备全球视野和战略思维的专业人才，让他们主动在国际上发声，有效进行跨文化沟通，开诚布公地向世界主动提供关于中国的认知供给，以摆事实讲道理不断提升对中国的认知。广交朋友，团结和争取大多数，不断扩大知华友华的国际舆论朋友圈。利用重要国际会议论坛、国外主流媒体等平台和渠道发声，通过“学术走出去”有力打破西方话语霸权，以学术外交、民间外交推动中国声音的国际传播。针对国际舆论焦点，编撰有学术性、传播性的简明读本，用多语种在海外出版发行，以通俗易懂的语言驳斥国际上的歪理邪说，还原历史真相，发出中国正声，引导海外舆论回归正轨。注重发挥智库作用，充分展现其在研究国际问题、设置国际议程、引导国际舆论、增进国际交流、参与全球治理以及影响涉外公共政策等方面的建设性作用。

3. Build an international network for people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation

3.构建国际人文交流合作网络

“Human beings have only differences in skin color and language, and civilizations have only differences in variety and splendor, but there is absolutely no distinction between high and low, good and bad.” The flourishing of civilizations and the progress of humanity are inseparable from exchange and mutual learning. At present, with changes unseen in a century accelerating, the calls of people of all countries for peace, development, and cooperation are growing louder. Only through inter-civilization exchange and mutual learning can we find the magic formula to solve global problems and jointly broaden the path of world modernization. Against this backdrop, building an international network for people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation has become an important link in enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization.

“人类只有肤色语言之别，文明只有姹紫嫣红之别，但绝无高低优劣之分。”文明的繁盛、人类的进步，都离不开交流互鉴。当前，百年变局加速演进，各国人民谋和平、求发展、促合作的呼声日益高涨，只有通过文明交流互鉴才能找到破解全球难题的妙方，共同拓宽世界现代化的道路。在此背景下，构建国际人文交流合作网络成为提升中华文明传播力影响力的重要环节。

Strengthen area and country studies to enhance the effectiveness of international communication. This is both an inevitable requirement for serving the national strategy and the overall diplomatic situation, and an important support for enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization. To this end, we should strengthen interdisciplinary research, effectively integrate, allocate, and utilize resources scattered across different disciplines and departments, conduct comprehensive research covering all relevant countries or regions, make precise judgments, and provide academic support for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Strengthen localized research, continuously delve into the target countries or regions, solidly carry out long-term fieldwork, engage in exchange and dialogue with relevant institutions and scholars in the target countries, conduct cooperative research, avoid superficial, perfunctory, or armchair-style research based on second-hand or even third-hand materials, and produce high-quality research results on the basis of long-term in-depth frontline investigations. Cultivate top-tier talents in the field of area and country studies, based on the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline and its emphasis on field research characteristics, continuously explore and innovate the talent cultivation system. Strengthen theoretical research on international communication, grasp the laws of international communication, build an external discourse system, improve communication artistry, and achieve efficient integration of existing communication resources.

加强区域国别研究，提升国际传播效能。这既是服务国家战略和外交全局的必然要求，也是提升中华文明传播力影响力的重要支撑。为此，应加强跨学科交叉研究，有效整合配置利用分散于不同学科和部门的资源，对相关国家或区域进行全覆盖综合性研究，从而作出精准判断，为推动构建人类命运共同体提供学术支撑。加强在地化研究，持续深入研究对象国家或地区，扎实开展长期田野调查，与对象国相关机构和学者进行交流对话、开展合作研究，避免通过二手甚至三手资料进行浮于表面、隔靴搔痒、闭门造车式的研究，在长期深入一线调研基础上推出高质量研究成果。培养区域国别研究领域的高精尖人才，立足该学科的跨学科属性、强调实地研究特征，不断探索并创新人才培养体系。加强国际传播理论研究，掌握国际传播规律，构建对外话语体系，提高传播艺术，实现现有传播资源的高效整合。

Conduct in-depth research on major issues to effectively build broad consensus. Focus on major topics, especially paying high attention to the collation, transformation, and dissemination of materials on economic cooperation, international peacekeeping, health and epidemic prevention, disaster reduction and poverty alleviation, ecology and climate, security and counter-terrorism, and South-South cooperation, fully demonstrating China’s role and contribution as a promoter, advocate, and contributor in major international affairs. Focus on universal topics, starting from issues of survival, livelihood, and production that people of all countries commonly care about, combining cutting-edge technology with innovative concepts, fully demonstrating China’s moral and responsible commitment. Focus on hot topics, based on China’s needs for development and security, based on the conviction of seeking progress for humanity and common good for the world, adhere to an objective and fair stance, and gradually weaken Western discursive hegemony.

深入研究重大课题，有效凝聚广泛共识。聚焦重大议题，尤其要高度重视经济合作、国际维和、卫生防疫、减灾扶贫、生态气候、安全反恐、南南合作等方面素材的整理、转换和传播，充分展现中国始终是重大国际事务推动者、倡导者、贡献者的角色和作用。聚焦普遍议题，从各国人民普遍关注的生存、生活、生产等问题入手，将前沿科技与创新理念相结合，充分展现中国的道义担当、责任担当。聚焦热点议题，基于中国对发展和安全的需求，基于为人类谋进步、为世界谋大同的信念，坚持客观公正的立场，逐步削弱西方的话语霸权。

Deepen inter-civilization exchange and mutual learning, and extensively carry out international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “We should jointly advocate strengthening international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation, explore the construction of a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation, enrich the content of exchanges, expand cooperation channels, promote mutual understanding and affinity among the people of all countries, and jointly promote the development and progress of human civilization.” The enhancement of international communication influence, the appeal of Chinese culture, the affinity of China’s image, the persuasiveness of Chinese discourse, and the guiding power of international public opinion are both differentiated and interrelated. We must grasp their commonalities, analyze their particularities, and promote cultural development, cultural innovation, and cultural dissemination. In other words, we must both follow the basic laws of inter-civilization exchange and mutual learning and highlight the national, value, and historical foundations of Chinese civilization, cultivate and train a group of talents skilled in disseminating Chinese culture, introduce a true, multidimensional, and panoramic view of China to the world, and make them truly become envoys bridging Chinese and foreign civilizations. Encourage more cultural enterprises and excellent cultural products to go global, promote more cultural products with rich humanistic heritage, reflecting the spirit of the times, and possessing an international perspective to go abroad, vigorously develop inbound tourism, extensively carry out rich and colorful cultural exchange activities, and inject fresh vitality into inter-civilization exchange and mutual learning.

深化文明交流互鉴，广泛开展国际人文交流合作。习近平总书记指出，“我们要共同倡导加强国际人文交流合作，探讨构建全球文明对话合作网络，丰富交流内容，拓展合作渠道，促进各国人民相知相亲，共同推动人类文明发展进步”。国际传播影响力、中华文化感召力、中国形象亲和力、中国话语说服力、国际舆论引导力的提升，既有区别度也有关联性，要把握其中的共通性，分析其中的分殊性，推动文化发展、文化创新、文化传播。换言之，就是既要遵循文明交流互鉴的基本规律，也要彰显中华文明的民族底色、价值底色、历史底色，培养造就一批善于传播中华文化的人才，向世界介绍真实、立体、全面的中国，使他们真正成为融通中外文明的使者。鼓励更多文化企业和优秀文化产品走向世界，推动更多富有人文底蕴、反映时代气象、具备国际视野的文化产品走出国门，大力发展入境旅游，广泛开展丰富多彩的文化交流活动，为文明交流互鉴注入鲜活力量。

(Authors: Jiang Weiping and Yang Binbin, respectively Distinguished Researcher of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Associate Researcher of the Academy of Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者：姜卫平 杨彬彬，分别系中国社会科学院习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、中国社会科学院大学教授，中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院副研究员）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧