China's cultural soft power in Latin America: A case study of Confucius Institute

近年來，中國和拉美國家在政治、經貿和人文等各方面的關係越來越密切。為了增強中國的綜合國力、提升中國的國際地位並促進中拉關係持續發展，中國在拉美地區大力推廣孔子學院。本文透過研究孔子學院在拉美發展的情形，探討中拉關係的發展趨勢及中國對拉美國家的文化軟實力，發現中拉雙方的政治和經貿關係影響文化交流甚深，顯示中國希望其文化軟實力能和政治與經濟等硬實力相匹配。然而，儘管漢語熱確實在拉美地區升溫，拉美孔子學院在改善中國形象方面的成效卻不如預期。In recent years, China and Latin American countries have developed closer relations in various fields such as politics, economy and humanities. Through promoting Confucius Institute in Latin America, China seeks to improve its comprehensive national strength, enhance its international status and promote the sustainable development of Sino-Latin America relations. This thesis, through analyzing Confucius Institutes in Latin America, discussed the trend of China-Latin America relations and China’s cultural soft power in Latin American countries. It was found that the political and economic ties between China and Latin America have a profound impact on cultural exchanges because China attempts to make its cultural soft power match its hard power. However, despite the fact that the demand for Chinese language learning has indeed surged in Latin America, the improvement of China’s image in the region is less than expected