A renowned international relations scholar, Gifford Malone, once defined the unofficial diplomacy channel as “one of direct communication with foreign peoples, to affect their thinking and, ultimately, that of their governments”. If Hong Kong were to promote citizen diplomacy to assist the country’s overall diplomacy, it is necessary to strengthen people-to-people bonds.
To this end, engagement with foreign citizens should be enhanced to increase people-to-people contacts, promote positive interaction, foster mutual understanding, and establish a positive image of Hong Kong through clansmen associations, overseas charitable work, and the tourism industry.
The current misinformation spread by some Western media outlets has created a negative perception of Hong Kong among foreign citizens, causing certain misunderstandings. For instance, some foreign chambers of commerce and consuls general in Hong Kong have pointed out that many foreign citizens are still concerned about the city’s public order, or mistakenly believe that foreigners can be detained arbitrarily by law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong. To address this issue, it is important to strengthen people-to-people contacts with foreign citizens and build stronger bonds with them. This will help clear up misunderstandings and disseminate the true positive situation of Hong Kong to the international community.
First, the vast network of overseas Chinese should be leveraged to facilitate citizen diplomacy. Hong Kong’s clansmen associations have strong emotional connections with overseas Chinese. This connection helps the country with citizen diplomacy in two major areas. For starters, by strengthening contact with overseas Chinese through clansmen associations, a robust overseas Chinese network can be established. This network will help spread Chinese culture and the story of China. Besides, many overseas Chinese have social and political influence in their local areas. Establishing close emotional ties with this group of overseas Chinese can help influence local policies toward China, which will benefit the country’s official diplomatic endeavors.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government should help local clansmen associations establish connections with overseas clansmen organizations. Under the principle of the country’s overall overseas affairs framework, necessary funding and guidance can be provided to participating associations. To deepen contacts with overseas Chinese associations, the participating local organizations should organize exchange activities and mutual visits, especially in Southeast Asian countries. The goal is to establish a better relationship with overseas Chinese through strong emotional ties. Ultimately, these efforts will make Hong Kong a channel for connecting overseas Chinese, thereby becoming a hub for people-to-people diplomacy.
Second, it is suggested that existing or new charitable organizations or nongovernmental organizations be encouraged to provide targeted external charity work, thereby creating a positive image of Hong Kong and strengthening people-to-people bonds. Many Western countries allocate specific funds annually to support local charities in providing humanitarian services in developing countries. For instance, France has established hospitals in Cambodia and provided free medical services to women and children, which has helped to rally the local people. Similarly, the UK government allocates 0.5 percent of GDP to foreign aid. Groups meeting specific conditions can apply for subsidies or loans to promote development and welfare in certain developing countries. By providing charity services in strategic areas, such as the Belt and Road Initiative or developing countries in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong can build stronger people-to-people bonds and establish a solid foundation for future official cooperation.
The HKSAR government can follow foreign precedents and allocate specific funds every year to charitable organizations for external charitable purposes. The government can list the regions and fields in which it hopes to develop people-to-people diplomacy in the application requirements. This will provide financial incentives for charitable groups or NGOs to carry out activities in the targeted area and strengthen the emotional connection with the local people. Based on countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative or developing countries in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong’s NGOs can provide charity services, including humanitarian relief, medical care, infectious disease prevention and control, finance, and network security. This will help win the hearts and minds of the local people.
The government has been supporting charitable activities through programs scrutinized by departments such as the Disaster Relief Fund under the administration wing of the Chief Secretary for Administration’s office, and the General Chinese Charities Fund and Special Aid Fund under the Home Affairs Department. It is recommended that the government consolidate existing funds under a single aid budget. A certain proportion of the aid budget should be designated to the external charity field to provide financial incentives for local charities or NGOs to carry out targeted nongovernmental exchanges overseas.
Lastly, it is important to actively attract tourists from targeted countries to visit Hong Kong. This allows them to experience the actual situation in Hong Kong firsthand, which can help to debunk any misleading information they may have received. Research has shown that during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union conducted people-to-people diplomatic traveling activities involving visits to each other’s local areas. Such tourism activities produced positive changes in the attitudes of both parties; thus the importance of actual visits for local exchanges cannot be overlooked. In fact, word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most effective marketing techniques. If tourists enjoy the experience in Hong Kong, they are more likely to share their positive experiences with friends and family after returning home. This can help to improve Hong Kong’s image and at the same time increase the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong.
From a strategic perspective, Hong Kong needs to enhance its people-to-people diplomacy in the ASEAN, Middle East, and BRI participating countries.
Furthermore, given the recent development in geopolitics, Hong Kong can play a significant role in developing relations between China and the Middle East. It is particularly important to build strong bonds between the people of Hong Kong and the Middle East. Currently, Hong Kong’s efforts to attract tourists from the Middle East are still in the early stages. However, Hong Kong can work on developing high-end tourism services for Muslim travelers from the Middle East and other countries. The global Muslim population is rapidly increasing, indicating significant political and economic potential demand in this market. With the coordination of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, the Hong Kong Tourism Board can provide appropriate support for Muslim tourists’ personal religious and other reasonable needs, such as religious dietary and accommodation facilities. This will enhance their experience in Hong Kong which facilitates the building of strong people-to-people bonds and laying the foundation for high-level development in the future.
The author is a researcher at the Silk Road Institute.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
