Chinese ‘Soft Power Pipelines Diffusion’ (SPPD) to the Middle Eastern Arab Countries 2000-2018: A Discursive-Institutional Study

Abstract

The article examines China’s ‘soft power’ invested in Middle Eastern countries from 2000 to 2018 by offering three main ‘Soft Power Pipelines Diffusion’ (SPPD): the media, popular culture and education. The paper focuses not only on China’s soft presence but also on the response and reception of its power in Middle Eastern Arab countries. China’s soft power presence and efforts were found to be efficient and to contribute to China’s image in the region and to its transformation into an attractive destination for cooperation in many soft areas.