Dissertation defence (East Asian Studies): VTM Marko Pihl

VTM Marko Pihl defends the dissertation in East Asian Studies titled “Cultivating Reciprocity: Party-to-Party Diplomacy and Narrative Influence in China-Africa Relations” at the University of Turku on 25 September 2026 at 13.00 (University of Turku, Educarium, Edu1, Assistentinkatu 5, Turku).

Opponent: Dr. Christine Hackenesch (German Institute of Development and Sustainability, Germany)

Custos: Professor Lauri Paltemaa (University of Turku)

Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:

This doctoral thesis examines a largely overlooked channel of Chinese influence in Africa: party-to-party diplomacy conducted through the Communist Party's International Department.

A distinctive feature of party-to-party diplomacy in the Chinese context is that the state and the party are inextricably intertwined and their interests nearly inseparable. Because the International Department maintains contact primarily with ruling parties, party-to-party diplomacy functions in effect as state diplomacy – yet without the constraints of formal diplomatic protocol. Through party diplomacy, the International Department builds networks of relationships based on reciprocal exchange. Besides visiting and hosting African ruling parties, the International Department offers, through its networks, training, material support, and ideological guidance. In return, it expects loyalty, endorsement of the Communist Party's domestic legitimacy, and international support for its vision of a more just world order.

The research consists of three distinct but complementary parts. The first analyses the formation of China's strategic narratives and the themes through which the party tailors them for an African audience. The second examines the dissemination of these narratives through party-to-party diplomacy, specifically, which geographical areas constitute the International Department's priorities, what kinds of parties it cooperates with, and what narratives it disseminates across the study period. The third examines how African politicians receive China's narratives and in which contexts they prove particularly effective.

The study finds that party-to-party diplomacy has grown into a significant and effective diplomatic tool during Xi Jinping’s era. However, its influence varies significantly depending on the recipient country's societal, economic, and political backgrounds. It is most effective in countries where domestic political debate is ideologically aligned with the Communist Party of China, and least effective where political competition is more pluralist, pragmatic, or clientelist. Ideological affinity tends to create enduring and deepening partnerships, but partnerships based on pragmatic benefits are more volatile.

The impact of my research lies above all in making visible a form of influence that has previously gone largely unnoticed. Chinese influence in Africa is usually examined through loans, infrastructure, and trade. Party-to-party diplomacy, by contrast, leaves no trace in statistics and rarely reaches the headlines, even though it shapes political networks and perceptions over the long term. Once a phenomenon is made visible and comprehensible, it can also be assessed and debated on an informed basis.

In practical terms, the research serves three audiences. For policymakers and security researchers, it offers analytical tools to recognise mechanisms of influence that conventional diplomatic monitoring does not capture. For the research community, it offers a new perspective on international relations by placing the party, not only the state, at the centre of analysis. And for the wider public, it provides a structured way to understand China's growing role in the world.