China’s Soft Power Components in Africa

By utilizing its different soft powers aspects, the Chinese government is implementing a global progressive strategy, especially on the African continent. The presence of the Chinese on the continent of Africa is very pervasive, which can be attributed to the proper utilization of the negotiations results and the programs approved by the regular China-Africa Summits meetings along with the increasing wave of presence of Chinese governmental media and cultural institutions on this continent. The purpose of this research is to help Iranian decision makers to better understanding of China’s policy makings in Africa and its effects on the political and economic interactions with the continent which many of its capacities have been unknown for different sectors of our country. This paper while using the analytical data, information and documents published, by examining the China›s soft power components in Africa and its effects on the interactions of this country with the continent, tries to answer the following question: What is the soft power performance of China in Africa and what components does it have? The hypothesis used in this connection is that China uses its soft power components on the African continent including culture and educational-cultural exchanges, strengthening diplomatic presence, and the provision of financial and investment assistance in different parts of Africa, has succeeded in attracting positive view of public opinion and the support of African governments to continue cooperation with the country in order to create the proper context for pursuing its political and economic goals on the continent. This research shows that the Iranian officials’ approaches towards Africa and their expectations from this continent will be the basis for defining any mechanism and exploiting of soft power and its tools in line with the expected interests.