Dr Kundan Aryal

Osmo Antero Wiio, a Finnish academic and journalist, used to state that communication usually fails, except by accident. He argued that if a message could be interpreted in several ways, it would be interpreted in a manner that maximised damages. The late Finnish lawmaker further cautioned: “The more we communicate, the worse communication succeeds.” This line of thought reflects a serious nature of communication and its impacts in the society.
Nevertheless, communication is an inalienable right of all ranging from an individual to the political and economic organisations to the governments. Hence, exertion of the discursive power, which is offspring of the media and communication power, would be inevitable for any political and economic power. Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), appealed to his party comrades to improve China's international communication capacity. He wishes to communicate his country's message across the world without any noise and interruption. Likewise, his instructions to command over international communication are coherent to his wishes to engage in international communication to present a true, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of China.

China’s ascent
China rose to global prominence from a country with relatively smaller scope of international communication encompassing a region or a few countries. Its intent towards boosting media and communication power in the world is an outcome of its soaring status in the current global power structure. Over the years, at an international or global level, communication divides have resulted in an imbalanced communication flows. Usually, a geopolitical, economic and military power hierarchy allows the powerful countries to be influential in terms of communication strength. As the power equation of the world gets changed, the flow of news, information as well as modes of media content exchanges also alter.
According to CPC, the country's influence in international discourse has notably changed since its 18th National Congress held in 2012. Currently, China has been actively engaged with the world through multiple communication platforms. Since 2009, its state-owned media have drawn global attention because of its rapid expansion. Thus, complex geopolitical implications are being instrumental in transforming both global and international communication orders.
Now, President Xi foresees that the country will inevitably face new situation and tasks. Hence, he stresses greater efforts to construct China's discourses and narratives, interpreting its practices by its theories. He calls for using new concepts, domains and expressions to better tell China's stories and the spiritual strength behind the stories. Xi has asked to help foreign audiences understand what the Party is pursuing is nothing but the Chinese people's well-being.
President Xi's address to a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee needs to be understood as China's journey towards effective and substantial international as well as global communication. He stressed the need to have a profound understanding of how important and necessary it is to improve the country's international communication. As he instructed his comrades to develop an international discourse that matches with China's comprehensive national strength and international status, he expressed his ambition to influence the process of global communication by intervening in its existing structure.
In all public affairs as well as the international arena, an effective leadership role thrives with effective communication. In such a case, the communicator should undoubtedly focus on setting the right tone and should be open and confident. S/he must also be modest and humble, and strive to carve a credible, popular and respectable image. Thus, it is understandable why the Chinese President, in his meeting with the senior fellows, instructed to improve their communications with the rest of the world. It is also a self-explanatory fact that why he emphasises the efforts to introduce the Chinese culture abroad and strive to shape a reliable, admirable and respectable image of his country.
His idea is to collectively shape a more just and equitable international order and forge a new form of international relations. As the way to achieve his aims, he presents the plans to carry out people-to-people exchanges, cultivate capable professionals for international communication and study its theories and better grasp its laws. He devises such measures to increase the appeal and effectiveness of the country's international communication. He expresses his wish to enlarge the circle of friends of China.

Building positive perceptions
The dominant and overt means for international public communication enable the world leaders or personalities to gain control over international communication and subsequently perception, opinion and agenda. However, communication would create effects in a conducive cultural context and atmosphere. Likewise, favourable communication is not possible without cultural works and the use of soft power to communicate among the world population with a planned message anticipating the desired effects. It seems that China is aware of these facts because the Chinese President handed out the guidelines to the gathering of the top governing body to well communicate the country's policies to overcome the negative perceptions about it.
As a world power, China is heading to be a key player in the global communication scenario. One of the biggest economies, largely driven by global integration via export and import, and one of the oldest civilisations, it is now focusing to create an enabling communication atmosphere to achieve its dream that is the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

(Dr. Aryal is associated with the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Tribhuvan University.)