The use of Twitter as a diplomatic tool by China: an analysis based on Brazil-China relations

• Autor(a) principal: Lopes Marra de Sousa, Ana Tereza
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Conjuntura Austral
• Texto Completo: https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/ConjunturaAustral/article/view/119206
• topic: Diplomacia Chinesa; Twiplomacy; Relações Brasil-China; Chinese Diplomacy; Twiplomacy; Brazil-China relations

For many countries, social networks have stood out as an instrument of public and digital diplomacy, with China being one of the states that has mostused the network for such purposes, especially Twitter. That said, in this work we present a case study in which we analyze the use of accounts ofChinese authorities on Twitter for dialogue with Brazilian counterparts. We highlight the way in which the social network was used in moments oftension in relations between countries. With this paper we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the use of Twitter as a diplomatic tool byChina. From a bibliographic review and primary data collection, we concluded that, faced with a scenario of adversities, China started to perceive theuse of Twitter as a diplomatic tool aimed at instrumentalizing the defense of its interests. In the case analyzed, specifically, Chinese authorities usedTwitter to mobilize internal actors in Brazil politically and economically interested in Brazil-China bilateral relations to oppose policies that could bedisadvantageous to China.