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Scholarship on China's role in the Mekong region tends to focus on investment, trade, aid and immigration flows, while its cultural expansion receives little attention. The establishment of Confucius Institutes (CIs) in the Mekong region can be seen as an effort on the part of China to enhance the strength of its cultural power in relation to its neighbors. While Thailand and Cambodia appear to be widening their doors to welcome the institutes, other countries in the region tend to be reserved about accepting this special cultural vehicle from China. This article examines the activities of Confucius Institutes in the context of the growing presence of China in the Mekong region. By focusing on Thailand as a special case, the paper provides an initial assessment of the extent, nature and effect of China's Confucius Institutes, which is aimed at understanding how China develops its softpower assets in the Mekong region. The establishment of Confucius Institutes in Thailand and other countries in the Mekong region does, however, play an important role in connecting China's mainland and overseas Chinese communities in the region. Furthermore, by placing Confucius Institutes in the educational systems of these countries, China is increasing its diplomatic presence in the neighboring countries, and thereby enlarging its softborder.
Keywords: Confucius Institute; soft power; soft border; cultural expansion; Mekong region.
Recent literature on China's role in the Mekong basin tends to concentrate on investment, trade, aid and immigration flows.1 Yet together with its increasing economic role in the world, China has also sought to expand its cultural influence in the service of its national interests. There has also been a growing literature on China's cultural expansion into Southeast Asia and the rest of the world.2
China's emergence may be seen as an attempt to obtain a "seat at the top table" and "to be respected by the world."3 The Communist Party of China (CPC) believes that it needs not only "hard power" (economic and military strength) but also "soft power" (diplomacy, aid and culture). China's state media has been doing its best to convince the public that "building a socialist cultural power is a necessary task in the enhancement of our country's comprehensive national strength and the protection of our national cultural security."4 In supporting...