The Chinese Cultural Diplomacy in Eastern Europe

In the era of globalization cultural diplomacy seems to be the fundamental tool for national determination at the international level.
The former Chinese President Hu Jintao, on the occasion of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party, stressed the importance of promoting the national image outside the country through cultural diplomacy. Did this decision have relevant outcomes? How much did it affect the relationship between China and Europe?
The aim of the paper is to try to answer these questions, with a particular focus on the Eastern European Countries, also considering those “on the border” of the European Union.
For a better understanding of the actual relations in socio- political- economic terms among China and the European Union, the first part of the article deals with their diplomatic relationships along the main steps: 1995 EU-China Dialogue, 2003 EU-China Strategic Partnership; 2004 Memorandum of Understanding; 2012 EU - China High Level People – to - People Dialogue; 2013 the EU - China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation.
Differences in approaching the respective interlocutor are noticed. The same differences brought the western community to theorize the Chinese concept of cultural diplomacy. Its peculiar understanding is linked to what is defined as Chinese identity: What happened in the past and what accumulated as experience. Therefore, a state with superior cultural achievements is entitled to esteem and influence.
How much does the peaceful development influence interlocutors of the Chinese government in Eastern Europe? The aim of the second part of this article is to give an answer to this question through an analysis on the Chinese presence in Eastern Europe - in terms of regular and irregular migrants on the old continent - on the European perception of China and on the social repercussions of the Chinese presence considered to be a result of the Chinese cultural diplomacy.