Esports Diplomacy to Strengthen China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: From Competition to Coalition
As Gen-Z – a generation born between 1997-2012 – the author sees how international relations interactions have changed, including diplomacy. d’Hooghe (2015, in Furrer, 2020) describes two models of public diplomacy; the “state-centered”, which is often represented by the official state delegations, and the “network-based”, which also involves various non-state actors to encourage dialogue and collaboration between states. Nations need to combine the two models of public diplomacy to promote images, build relationships, and engage audiences. The categorization of d’Hooge’s public diplomacy sees soft power, such as media, events, human resources, and publications/promotions, as instruments of public diplomacy. Nye (2004, in Furrer, 2020) describes soft power as an ability to cooperate instead of coercion. Soft-powered public diplomacy can be accomplished through esports diplomacy.
