This paper analyses the impact of Chinese public diplomacy and soft power (cultural soft power) on the public perception in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have tested the three specific images China aims to project in Bosnia-Herzegovina: China as an ancient civilization, a leader of the developing countries and a responsible partner in the international community. We will see whether cultural soft power, applied by means of Confucius Institutes, academic exchange programs and think tanks, has an impact on the public perception in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first part tackles the theoretical framework of public diplomacy, soft power and cultural diplomacy. The second part delineates the institutional, diplomatic and regulative framework of soft power and introduces the stakeholders, i.e. academic exchange and Confucius Institutes. The final part analyzes the survey and interviews and presents the results as to how these various public diplomacy tools are shaping the perception of China in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The paper concludes by arguing that Chinese public diplomacy produces soft power in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is in turn positively perceived.

This paper shall explore the reasons that triggered China to boost its security and economic influence within the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) as a tool for embracing international challenges. By doing so, China is not just sharing the burden of providing international stability and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but exerting its influence in the process. Analysing the proposed subject, it will be demonstrated that China faces numerous obstacles whilst trying to insert the “Chinese characteristics” within the geopolitical order, geo-economics distribution of wealth and international security architecture. Instead of being perceived as a responsible stakeholder, China`s ambitious initiatives can, additionally, stir the China Threat Theory in the international community. This paper shall be consisted of two parts. The first part will tackle China`s growing footprint within the UNPKO from the end of the Cold War onward. The second part will explore the reasons that triggered China to swift its role within the UNPKO. Both global and domestic reasons will be analysed too.

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.