China's Cultural Diplomacy in the USA in the 21st Century and the Specific Features of its Coverage in the American Media

China’s economic development and its growing power in the international arena are arousing interest among many scholars. Being a part of the country’s soft power strategy its cultural diplomacy is not deprived of the attention as well. This work can be perceived as an attempt to provide the analysis of China’s cultural diplomacy in the USA in the early 21st century as a governmentally defined campaign aimed at the creation of a better image of China through the promotion of its culture and language abroad on the one hand, and the assessment given to it in the American media which positions itself as free and independent of any political influence on the other. By applying the constructivist approach I try to identify the mechanisms of the creation of new social constructs used within the framework of China’s cultural diplomacy and in the American mass media and in this way present a new view on the issue. With the help of the content and discourse analyses of the articles and video pieces provided at the websites of the top American newspapers and TV channels I prove that the volume of media coverage and the assessment given to China’s cultural diplomacy in the American media mostly depend on the general international environment, the relationship between China and the USA, and the character of China’s cultural diplomacy, rather than on the amount of the corresponding cultural events and initiatives carried out by China or the media’s political orientation which in this case is irrelevant if present at all. Key words: China’s cultural diplomacy, soft power, the Confucius Institutes, the American media, assessment, social constructs.