Influence of China's Education Diplomacy on Foreign Students: the Case of Central Asia

In the 21st century, processes are taking place in the modern international system when states shift the emphasis of politics from using hard power to soft power through public diplomacy. One type of public diplomacy is educational diplomacy. Education is one of the key factors affecting a person’s worldview. The relevance of the use of educational diplomacy in recent years has been steadily increasing. When any state actively participates in the student exchange program, accepts foreign students, offers them high-quality educational services, this contributes to the formation of its positive image for foreign civil society, and in particular for foreign students. This work focuses on China's educational diplomacy in Central Asia. The expansion of China’s economic presence in Central Asia can increase the negative attitude towards this process, which will create difficulties in the implementation of Chinese interests in the region. In an effort to avoid this scenario, the Chinese leadership is expanding cultural and humanitarian ties in Central Asia in order to create a favorable image of its country in this post-Soviet region. To this end, China is actively using public diplomacy, including educational diplomacy. This study addresses the question - what are the effects of China's educational diplomacy on students from Central Asian countries? To answer this question, an analysis of interviews with foreign students studying in China from different focus groups was conducted. At the same time, special attention was paid to the question of how the opinion and initial image of China was transformed, due to the national vision, before the start of student training and the image of China after training. This allowed us to identify the dynamics of the influence of Chinese education on students. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the educational policy of China was quite effective. Most of the students surveyed are satisfied with the results of their studies and have a positive opinion about the country of study, which they then relay to their surroundings. Thus, the study confirmed the translational and transformational functions of Chinese educational diplomacy. Trained foreign students become guides for expanding spheres of influence and building new connections in various fields related to economics, science and culture. China successfully manages to build the image of a “powerful cultural power”, to engage students in the socio-cultural space of China, to increase the influence of Chinese culture in order to strengthen its influence on foreign public opinion in Central Asia. Key words: educational diplomacy, soft power, China, Central Asia, foreign students, broadcasting function, educational centers.