Corporate Public Diplomacy and Global Communication of China's “Belt and Road” Initiative

The “Belt and Road” initiative (BRI) is centrally located in China's international strategy and its implementation will benefit China's internal economic and political stability. Further, this will affect its relations with neighboring countries as well as current Chinese thinking on regional and global governance. However, its success will be determined by the enthusiastic acceptance of China's neighbors involved in it; thus, communicating the BRI to the world audience matters in China's international strategy. Chinese transnational corporations will be responsible for implementing specific projects in the countries along the BRI routes. By looking at China's international push for its high-speed railways with its achievements and setbacks, this paper will explain why employing corporate public diplomacy could help China realize its global communication and future constructions of the BRI.