The Confucius Institute And China’s Public Diplomacy In Botswana(2009-2015)

The 21 st century with its sophisticated globalization brings change in the international political system thereby providing China with the opportunity to challenge the influence of Western super powers, such as the United States of America particularly on Africa. As a rising superpower in the global arena, China found the need to reshape its national image and enhance its international influence, so as to make China’s economic and political rise pleasant and acceptable to the world. Africa has an important geo-strategic significance for China. It is necessary for China to maintain a favorable image with African publics as China’s growing economic and political interests in Africa intensifies. China eventually used a special strategy called Public Diplomacy(PD) based on “image cultivation across national borders”. In recent times China found a need to engage with foreign audiences. Public diplomacy is a strategy which is being incorporated to further influence. The Chinese government has spent billions of dollars in Africa on Public Diplomacy initiatives that are intended to improve the country’s image.An important part to that strategy is the growing network of the Confucius Institutes(CIs) abroad that are designed to promote Chinese language and culture to African countries as a means to build a favorable reputation among the public. Chinese policy makers have since 2004 paid particular attention to the Confucius Institute program as a Public Diplomacy tool to showcase China’s image abroad.By the end of 2015 there were 500 Confucius Institutes and 1000 Confucius classrooms established in 134 countries. The latest available figures show that there are around 50 Confucius Institutes in Africa. Botswana is a small landlocked developing country in Southern Africa, with a population of about 2.1 million.The friendship between China and Botswana is well established and long lasting. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975, especially after the set up of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation(FOCAC) of November 2000, China-Botswana bilateral exchanges and cooperation in all areas have been improved greatly. In aspects of people-to-people exchanges, Confucius Institute was established in University of Botswana in 2008, and China received a total of 185 foreign students from Botswana until 2014. CIUB had achieved gratifying success since its inception in Botswana, promoting exchanges and mutual understanding between Botswana and China. In the past 5 years CIUB played a significant role in boosting people-to- people exchange between China and Botswana and promoting mutual understanding and friendship of the two peoples. It attained success in enhancing the education and cultural activities between both countries. Therefore Botswana has become animportant stage for China to enhance its Public Diplomacy and shape its national image.China’s Public Diplomacy is actively using the Confucius Institute in the University of Botswana in promoting Chinese language and culture and shaping how the next generation of Botswana leaders relates to and perceive Chinese individuals and entities in Botswana.The focus of this study was on the Confucius Institute and China’s Public Diplomacy in Botswana. The general objective of the study was to examine whether the Confucius Institute is effective in promoting Chinese language and culture in Botswana. If its activities help in shaping and managing perceptions of a diverse group of Chinese people and companies living and working in Africa, the Chinese government should allocate more resources in the activities of CIUB. However CIUB has the potential to adequately explain the face of China in Botswana. To this end, it will be recommended that effort should be made to extend the Confucius Institute program to the rural areas as soon as possible to bring into fruition China’s noble idea.