Two-Pager: China’s Soft Power in Europe

Key Takeaways:

• Chinese soft power in Europe is weakening overall; across 17 countries and EU institutions, China’s ability to attract or persuade European publics has declined significantly, despite soft power remaining a stated priority in its foreign policy.
• China uses three main soft power tools in Europe: these include promoting language and culture, shaping its image through media, and leveraging economic influence. Increasingly, economic ties are the most powerful—but also the most controversial—component.
• Economic influence is both China’s strongest appeal and a coercive tool: market access, trade, and investment remain central to China’s attractiveness in Europe, but practices such as sanctions, export controls, and “unreliable entity lists” are increasingly seen as coercive, blurring soft power and hard power.
• European perceptions of China are increasingly negative or cautious: attitudes vary by country group: from low engagement (e.g., Austria, Hungary) to image management (Italy, Greece), to declining perceptions (e.g., Germany, UK), and outright “free fall” (e.g., France, Sweden). EU institutions show rising vigilance overall.
• China is shifting from attraction to influence management and control of narratives: In response to worsening perceptions, Beijing has become more assertive and sometimes aggressive in messaging (including social media and sanctions), suggesting a shift away from building appeal toward shaping discourse and limiting criticism—even if it reduces “soft power” effectiveness.