Digital Diplomacy 2021 Methodology

METHODOLOGY

This study on the digital diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China in Latin America and the Caribbean includes the main findings of the study previously published by the Andrés Bello Foundation, entitled: 2020: a decisive year for the digital diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China in Latin America and the Caribbean, and continues the analysis for 2021. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used for this study also. The former, to collect statistical data from each of the Twitter accounts belonging to the PRC diplomatic representations and representatives in LAC, and the latter, to perform the content analysis of each of the tweets of these accounts and contrast it with the quantitative information collected during the study period (January-December of 2021).

The following criteria were considered to select the Twitter accounts used as the subject of this study: first, the verification of diplomatic relations between PRC and each of the LAC countries [1].  In 2021, the PR had diplomatic relations with the following LAC countries:

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Granada, Guyana, Jamaica, Méxicoe Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The second criterion for the selection of the Twitter accounts consisted in the effective creation of these accounts by PCR representations (Embassies and Consulates) and/or diplomatic representatives (Ambassadors and Consuls) in these countries. To this end, the following elements were taken into account:

• Twitter Verification.
• Account in the name of the Embassy.
• Account in the name of the Consulate.
• Accounts in the name of the Ambassador and/or Consul, as appropriate.
• Description and content of each account.

Accounts associated with any other diplomatic personnel, such as attaché offices, counselors, spokespersons, etc., were discarded.

Having performed the search using the “Twitter Advanced Search” application and contrasted the results with each of the pages of the PRC’s diplomatic missions in the region and applying other confirmation elements (“description,” “location mark,” “content,” “followers,” and “accounts followed”), we found that for 2021 a total of 35 Twitter accounts were distributed in LAC countries, as shown in the following table:

Of the 25 PRC diplomatic representations in LAC[2], only 20 have Twitter accounts [3].  The final result, considering representations and diplomatic representatives for 2021 is a total of 35 accounts, of which two did not present activity during the study period (Ambassador to Bahamas, Dai Qingli (@DQingli) and Embassy in Suriname (CHNEmbSuriname)), and two other accounts presented minimal activity (Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago (@ChineseEmbinTT) and Ambassador to Venezuela) (Li_ Baorong).

It is important to note that Ambassador Li Baorong already had a Twitter account (@Li_Baorong) which was suspended at the end of 2020 for non-compliance with the platform’s policies. Ambassador Baorong opened this new account, @EmbChinaVen, in May 2021, so that both accounts remain in his name and although the first one was reactivated by the platform, the only one that shows activity is the latter. However, for the purposes of this investigation, both Twitter accounts are part of the analysis while they are active and Ambassador Baorong is in office in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. 

The Twitter Advanced Search and the Twitonomy applications were used for the quantitative analysis, collecting the following statistical data for each of the accounts analyzed:

– Date of creation of each account

– Account verification by Twitter

– Activity of the accounts / Number of monthly tweets (January – December 2021)

– Most frequently retweeted users (January – December 2021)

– Most frequently mentioned users (January – December 2021)

– Most frequently responded to users (January – December 2021)

– Most frequently-used hashtags (January – December 2021)

For the quantitative analysis of the accounts followed on Twitter by the representations and diplomatic representatives of the PRC in LAC and the followers of these accounts, it is important to note that the data can only be obtained as of the date of the search, which corresponds to January 2022. For this quantitative analysis, we used the Twitter Advanced Search application and the Followerwonk application. The latter makes it possible to verify the number of followers and accounts followed, but also provides a series of elements that were used to develop a study on the georeferencing of these accounts, the most frequently-used language, as well as a sample of both the accounts followed and the accounts of the followers on which categories were built to analyze their characteristics.

Thus, with the quantitative information collected, a half-yearly and a total consolidation of the accounts with each of these items was performed to verify the variations between both semesters of 2021 and the general trend of that year according to the characteristics of the PRC’s public diplomacy.

For the qualitative analysis, a manual and thorough analysis was conducted to detail the content of the tweets of each of the accounts during the period analyzed (January – December 2021), in order to determine the most relevant topics and the tone used in the accounts.

Finally, a combination of both methodologies was used to build the categories of analysis used for the study. It should be noted that according to the data collected for 2021, this building of categories was modified as compared to the study carried out for 2020. Similarly, these new categories were also applied to the consolidated results for that year, allowing for comparative analysis.

These new categories applied to the items “followers,” “followed accounts,” “most frequently retweeted users,” “most frequently mentioned users,” and “users with the highest number of replies,” as follows. 

• Citizen (foreign audience):  Twitter accounts of ordinary citizens, considered in this research as a foreign audience.

• Citizen (private account):  Twitter accounts of possible ordinary citizens, who are considered in this research as a foreign audience, but, as their accounts are private, it is not possible to verify their status as such.

• PRC or Taiwan citizen:  Twitter accounts of citizens of PRC or Taiwan origin; which, for this research, are not considered as a foreign audience.

• Influencers:  Twitter accounts of public figures, not only in Latin American and Caribbean countries but also globally. Like citizens, for this research they are also considered as foreign audience. These include writers, activists, musicians, politicians, businessmen, actors, etc.).

• Content amplifiers: Twitter accounts belonging to people who are dedicated to publishing promotional content about PRC politics, economy, culture, tourism, etc.

• BOT: Twitter accounts managed by computer programs for the purpose of carrying out specific actions intended to create content in favor of the PRC.

• Suspended or eliminated account: Twitter accounts that are no longer available because they have been eliminated or suspended for violating the platform’s policies.

• PRC Government: Twitter accounts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and its spokespersons, as well as the accounts of the representatives and diplomatic representations of the PRC, in LAC and in other countries. Also included are the Twitter accounts belonging to other PRC government bodies, their spokespersons, and territorial entities

• PRC Media and promotion sites:  Twitter accounts, in different languages, of the PRC state-owned media (press, radio and television). Also included are the Twitter accounts of websites dedicated to the promotion of news on PRC economic, political, and cultural issues internationally.

• PRC Companies: Twitter accounts of PRC companies, their subsidiaries and representatives, in LAC and globally.

• LAC governments and governmental entities:  Twitter accounts belonging to LAC Heads of State and Government. Also included are the Twitter accounts of national, regional, and municipal ministries and other governmental entities and their representatives. This category also includes the Twitter accounts of the respective Legislative Assemblies and their members.

• LAC media:  Twitter accounts of the media (press, radio, and television) of Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as the Twitter accounts of journalists affiliated to them.

• LAC Private companies and organizations:  Twitter accounts of companies created in LAC, and their representatives. Also included in this category are the Twitter accounts of private, non-profit organizations in various fields (sports, cultural, productive, professional, etc.), created in LAC in order to promote, develop, and protect the activities to which they are dedicated, as well as the Twitter accounts of their members and representatives.

• LAC Research and higher education centers:  Twitter accounts of multidisciplinary and non-profit research centers that promote research and academic debate on different topics, created in LAC, as well as those of their members and representatives. Also included are the Twitter accounts of public and private higher education centers in LAC, along with those of their members and representatives.

• PRC-LAC binational organizations:  Twitter accounts of binational non-profit organizations and their representatives, engaged in promoting and strengthening dialogue and exchange in different sectors such as politics, trade and investment, and culture, between the PRC and LAC (i.e., Chambers of Commerce and Binational Business Councils, among others).

• Foreign governments:  Twitter accounts of governments and government entities, along with their representatives, from countries other than LAC.

• Foreign media: Twitter accounts of media (press, radio, and television) other than those of LAC.

• Foreign companies: Twitter accounts of companies created in countries other than LAC, along with their representatives.

• Multilateral organizations, forums, and platforms: Twitter accounts, in different languages, of the different regional and global multilateral organizations, forums and platforms.

Finally, for the item “Most frequently-used hashtags”, also using both methodologies, the following categories were constructed based on the tags that determined the most relevant topics in each of the accounts analyzed:

• COVID-19: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC that make direct mention of the SARSCovid-19 virus causing the 2019 pandemic, as well as hashtags referring to the research, development, production, and distribution of the vaccines created by laboratories in the PRC against the Covid-19 virus.

#Coronavirus

#covid19

#cansino

#coronavac

#coronavírus

#coronavirusoutbreak

#coronavirus

#covax

#coronoavirus

#Covid

#covid – 19

#covid_19

#Covid19

#covid2019

#covid-19

#novocoronavírus

#pandemia

#salud

#sinopharm

#sinovac

#uniteagainstcovid19

#vaccine

#vacina

#vacunas.

• PRC PROMOTION: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC, promoting the PRC in different areas. These include: the different measures taken to overcome the Covid-19 health crisis in its territory; the promotion of international trade fairs, such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the Canton Fair, as well as the Belt and Road initiative; the promotion of tourism and culture in different parts of its territory and the relevance of these as historical and cultural heritage of humanity. It also includes the promotion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Beijing in 2022.

#amazingchina

#añonuevochino

#beijing

#cadaañopasamoslanavidadconcariñochino

#chengdu

#china

#chinese

#ciie

#cinturaoerota

#cultura

#culturachina

#desarrollo

#economíachina

#exposición

#festivaldachina

#forçawuhan

#glamorchina

#hospedajefamiliar

#jiajiwu

#llamaeterna

#patrimoniocultural

#shanghai

#turismo

#visitingchinaonline

#wuhan

#yunnan

#economía

#100daystogo

#129thcantonfair

#2021highlights

#amazingchina

#aniversáriodachina

#anonovochines

#añonuevochino

#aprendiendochino

#artechino

#artedechino

#atletismo

#beijing

#bellachina

#beltandroad

#cantonfair

#cftis

#China

#china

#chinadailycartoon

#chinadesdeelcielo

#chinafantástica

#chinaglamour

#chinainspira

#chineselanguajeday

#chn

#chongqing

#CIIE2021

#ciie2021

#comercio

#cultura

#culturachina;

#desarrollo

#diplomacia

#economía

#edg

#eileengu

#exposición

#exposiciónbellachinapintorescazhejiang

#Fast

#Felizanonovochines

#felizdia

#felizfindesemana

#felizsabadoatodos

#fesiluz

#festivaldachina

#festivaldelinternas

#festivaldelaprimavera

#globalink

#guizhou

#harbin

#hubei

#huoshenshan

#inteligente

#internationallaborday

#jaychou

#kungfu

#leishenshan

#mediootoño

#Oláchina

#onebeltoneroad

#opinión

#patrimonio

#patrimoniocultural

#patromoniohistórico

#patrimoniomundial

#pequim

#povertyalliviationchina

#pudong

#rarelookintoxijiang

#realxijiang

#salud

#sanxingdui

#sextou

#shandong

#shanghai

#shanghai

#shenzhen

#shueyrhonrhon

#schuan

#singlesday

#splendidchina

#suzhou

#thegreatmigration

#turismo

#turismochina

#unbocadodechina

#visitingchinaonline

#wanderingelephants

#wuhan

#xinjiangeshermosa

#youthday

• INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY AND SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC, referring to the role of the PRC in creating international solidarity ties, not only in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also extending to different areas, explicitly including South-South cooperation, both of which are important principles of its foreign policy.

#américalatina

#amizadenaotemfronteira

#chinaapoyo

#elamorcon

#elamorconelamorsepaga

#estamostodosjuntosenesto

#fuerza

#lasoufriere

#micompromisoconlaigualdad

#porummundosaudável

#unidoslohacemos

#unidosvenceremos

#afeganistão

#afegão

#africa

#chinaapoyo

#chinaayuda

#Chinayuda

#cooperación

#coraçõesjuntoslaçosunidos

#estamosjuntosenesto

#eueachina

#ghana

#handinhandwestand

#italia

#juntosvenceremos

#lasaludnosune

#nigeria

#nuevazelanda

#porummundosaudável

#quedateencasa

#quédateencasa

#solidarityandcooperation

#strongertogether

#togetherwecan

#Unidoscontraelvirus

#unidoslohacemos

#UnidosVenceremos

#unidosvenceremos

#vivalaamistad

PRC – LAC BINATIONAL RELATIONS: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC, initially referring to the material and immaterial support and cooperation with each of the host countries of the diplomatic representation in the context of the pandemic; and later, extending to the celebration and promotion of economic, political and cultural relations between the PRC and each of the countries in the region.

#46anoschinabrasil

#60cubachina

#argentina

#biotic

#bolivia

#colombia

#comercio

#cooperación

#copaamérica2021

#cuba

#economía

#embajadachinaenpanamá

#fidel

#guerrerosdeplaya

#minaschinajuntos

#mineração

#zouxiaoli

#美洲杯 (Copa América)

#amistadverdadera

#antiguaandbarbuda

#anvisa

#Argentina

#argentina

#bicentenario

#bolivia

#brasil

#canciller

#chinaelsalvador

#Cuba

#cubanoestasola

#dosañosdelestablecimientodelasrelacionesdiplomáticasentrechinaylarepúblicadominicana

#ecuador

#embajadachinaenpanamá

#Estadoslrmãos

#fuerzabolivia

#fuerzachinafuerzapanamá

#fuerzapanamá

#Geraçãoz

#gobierno

#havana

#laeducaciónnopara

#Nossosencontros

#peru

#perú

#puertosuárez

#republicadominicana

#sp467

#spinternacional

#spworldcity

#staystrongbarbadous

#trabajandoporpanama

#Venezuela

#vigesimoaniversarioapachi

• INFORMATION VERACITY: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC to counteract the dissemination of biased and erroneous information on the origin and nature of the Covid-19 virus and the handling of information on the outbreaks in its territory, among other related issues that could affect the PRC’s image both at home and abroad.

#conozca

#conozcamás

#entérese

#infórmese

#laverdad

#AsiLoDijo

#aviso

#boletín

#conozca

#debessaber

#entérese

#EnVideo

#importante

#laverdad

#laverdadafondo

#realitycheck

#rtenespañol

#trazabilidad

#Última

#video

• PRC GOVERNMENT: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC diplomatic representatives and representations in LAC that address PRC domestic policy issues, as well as the defense of these issues internationally.

#hongkong

#100años

#100ºaniversariodefundacióndepcch

#cpc100

#cpc100glory

#cpc100glory100quote

#ddhh

#keymomentsin100years

#marmeridionaldechina

#pcch

#povertyalleviationinchina

#rpdc

#xijinping

#xinjiang

#xisays

#100anospcch

#100años

#100cpcstories

#100historiasentrepcchyamigosextranjeros

#14thfiveyearplan

#14thfyp

#baii

#bci

#bfa

#chinasuperapobreza

#chino

#combatirpobreza

#cpc

#cpc100years

#cpc110

#cri

#desarrolloverde

#diplomacia

#dossesiones

#duasseções

#gobierno

#hksar

#hongkong

#humanrights

#ncp

#pcch

#políticachinesa

#sco

#tibet

#twosessions2020

#uygur

#wangyi

#whitepaper

#Xijinping

#xinjiang

#zeropoverty2020

#zouxiaoli

• USA: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC diplomatic representatives and representations in LAC referring to the tense relations and the continuous friction between the PRC and the United States of America.

#eeuu

#joebiden

#wallstreet

#Democracia

#democracy

#EEUU

#eua

#houston

#inmorality

#racist

#SummitforDemocracy

#whatisdemocracy

#Whatsdemocracy

#whodefinesdemocracy

• MULTILATERAL ORGANS, FORUMS, AND PLATFORMS:  This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC that refer to the support, cooperation, and defense of the different multilateral organizations, spaces, and forums, which is one of the guiding principles of its foreign policy.

#bancomundial

#brics

#multilateralism

#onu

#rcep

#Beijin2022

#beijing2020

#Beijing2022

#brics

#bricssummit

#davos2021

#davosagenda

#g20

#g20virtualsummit

#gold

#ioc

#juegosolimpicos

#multilateralismo

#olimpiadasdeinvierno

#olympics

#oms

#onu

#onu75

#pequim2022

#rcep

#silver

#tokio2020

#un

#UN

#unesco

#unhrc

#wef2021

#wef21

• PRC TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC to promote the PRC’s different technological advances, emphasizing the development and commercialization of G5 technology and the development of its space programs and missions.

#5g

#change5

#innovación

#marte

#tecnología

#tecnologíachina

#tianwen1

#zhurong

#beidou

#ai

#change5

#marte

#scewc

#shenzhen

#shenzhou

#shenzhou12

#shenzhou13

#shezhou12

#taikonautas

#tecnología

#tecnologíachina

#tianggong

#tiangong

#tianhe

#tianwen1

#tianzhou3

#wangyaping

#zhengzhou

#zhurong

• ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC diplomatic representatives and representations in LAC, emphasizing the protection of the environment and biodiversity.

#cambioclimatico

#díamundialdelosocéanos

#ecoagricultura

#energíarenovable

#biodiversidade

#biodiversity

#cop15

#díamundialdelatierra

#diamundialdelmedioambiente

#energíaslimpias

#kunming

#medioambiente

#díainternacionalcontraelcambioclimático

• PRC COMPANIES: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC diplomatic representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC mentioning PRC companies and topics related to them.

#huawei

#chinaharbour

#harmonyos

#mengwanzhou

• LAC COMPANIES: This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC representatives and diplomatic representations in LAC mentioning LAC companies and related topics.

#clarotv

#cablecolor

• N/A (Not Applicable): This category covers the different hashtags used by PRC diplomatic representatives and representations in LAC that, due to their definition and context of use, are not related to this investigation’s object of study.

#mojito

#mothersday

#新头像 (Avatar)

#diwali

#musicvoyage

#pni

#eidaladha

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[1] The selection of LAC countries was based on their membership in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)

[2] On December 9th, 2021, the Republic of Nicaragua broke its longstanding diplomatic ties with Taiwan to switch its allegiance to the People’s Republic of China PRC.

[3] As of 2021, the diplomatic representations in Costa Rica, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, and Nicaragua do not have Twitter accounts, nor do their representatives.