Russia's public diplomacy toward China: the role of female leaders

The number of female leaders, as well as their influence on the diplomatic arena, has been rising in recent years. Taking the case of current Russian MFA spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who enjoys popularity among the Chinese public, this work evaluates the advantages of female diplomats on promoting public diplomacy. By analyzing Chinese audiences’ social media comments on Zakharova and her statements through comparative analysis and rating, the paper concludes that Zakharova contributes to create an overall favorable national image of Russia in China. In the era of globalization, it is important to encourage women to actively participate in public diplomacy. Russia with a large number of female leaders has great potential in pushing its diplomacy forward.