Digital Diaspora and National Image Building: A New Perspective on Chinese Diaspora Study in the Age of China's Rise

Abstract

is on the rise. A rising power has traditionally been thought of as a revisionist power by the status quo powers and neighbouring countries. There are still some disputes within the global community of China scholars about the speed and extent of China's rise. Most scholars' attention has focused on the question of whether an authoritarian and nationalistic China would adhere to international norms, and fully integrate itself into the existing global system. Therefore, Beijing must make efforts to establish a favourable national image (i.e., as a peaceful and responsible great power) in order to create a friendly international environment for its ascendancy. Moreover, compared to the rise of other powerful nations in history, China's current ascension has been complicated by a new but unpredictable factor that of the continuously growing Chinese diaspora, which consists of 38 million ethnic Chinese living outside of Greater China. In the post-Cold War world, the increased importance of national image building as part of foreign policy, and the formulation of new concepts such as transnationalism, the global information age and international broadcasting power have suggested alternative perspectives from which to approach diaspora studies. There is no consensus among the global community of China scholars on an apt description of the ethnic Chinese who live outside of Greater China, a region which is composed, of Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. The older term of Huaqiao refers to those Chinese who have been living outside of Greater China for many years, but still retain their Chinese citizenship. Obviously, this term is not strongly associated with new Chinese immigrants and foreign-born ethnic Chinese. Another term, that of overseas Chinese, refers to Chinese sojourners, Chinese subjects or nationals temporarily residing abroad, but excludes those who have become