WORKING PAPER The Evolution of Chinese Cultural Diplomacy and its impact on the BiH perception of the Belt and Road Initiative and China CEE Cooperation

Since the introduction of the China – CEE ‘17+1’ framework of cooperation in 2012 and the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, China became “hot topic”, not just in the region of the Western Balkans, but in the broader European framework as well. Because majority of analyses are focused on economic and security studies, they lack the historical, ideational and social context in understanding Chinese policy of reforms and opening up. Facing this kind of challenges, official Beijing readopts the Confucius thoughts and Zhongyong dialectics as a part of broader concept/framework of the cultural diplomacy. On the other side, through cultural diplomacy official Beijing is trying to democratize the structure of the Global Governance Club and to present itself as a benevolent and responsible stakeholder. This paper would like to present the influence of cultural diplomacy on the BiH perception of the Belt and Road Initiatives and China – CEE ‘17+1’ framework of cooperation. The structure of the paper will be organized in three parts. The first part will be dedicated to the evolution of cultural diplomacy in Chinese foreign policy since the founding of the People’s Republic of China on the October 1 st in 1949. The second part of the paper will analyze the cultural diplomatic activities of China in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It will focus on the activities and projects implemented by the Confucius institutes and educational institutions and exchange. The third part of the paper will be dedicated to explaining whether Chinese campaigns in BiH were successful. That success will be measured by the occurred changes in the perception of China and its initiatives within Bosnia and Herzegovina.