The 2022 Two Sessions, the annual sessions of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (China's top legislature & political advisory body) was held in March. Prof. Jia Qingguo (Member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, Director of iGCU), submitted two proposals this year. One on public diplomacy and the other on the proliferation of misinformation online.
The first proposal of Prof. Jia focuses on Chinese public diplomacy. Specifically on how the Chinese government could improve in telling China's stories to the world. Prof. Jia points out that despite China's meteoric rise over the past decades, challenges facing the country have also been on the rise, particularly in diplomatic aspect. In recent years, under the influence of Western media (and other internal factors as well), many seem to have misinterpreted the rise of China and held broadly negative views of China. Prof. Jia proposes that, to boost China's global image, it would be essential for us (the Chinese government) to first reflect on our public diplomacy and ponder upon in what ways we can do better. It would also be helpful if more scholars and experts who have professional knowledge and experience in handling diplomatic affairs could participate in process of telling China's stories. [To read more about Prof. Jia's first proposal (in Chinese): https://bit.ly/3Js4kmb]
The second proposal of Prof. Jia calls for government's actions in banning the fabrication and dissemination of misinformation online. Prof. Jia suggests that, the proliferation of false information online could harm national interests and fuel tensions between China and other countries. According to Prof. Jia, as fake news would lead to public confusion and social division, it would be of great necessity and urgency to legislate against the fabricating and spreading of fake information online. [To read more about Prof. Jia's second proposal (in Chinese):https://bit.ly/3CTzBvP]