{"id":3491,"date":"2026-04-14T09:31:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T07:31:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.external-democracy-promotion.eu\/de\/joint-authoritarian-image-management-how-china-and-zimbabwe-defend-chinese-operations-in-the-country\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T08:49:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T06:49:21","slug":"joint-authoritarian-image-management-how-china-and-zimbabwe-defend-chinese-operations-in-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.external-democracy-promotion.eu\/de\/joint-authoritarian-image-management-how-china-and-zimbabwe-defend-chinese-operations-in-the-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Joint authoritarian image management: how China and Zimbabwe defend Chinese operations in the country"},"content":{"rendered":"

In: Contemporary Politics<\/em>, 1\u201316.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How has China defended its overseas interests when threatened by backlashes and how are clientelist governments colluding with their authoritarian patron when the patronage relationship is threatened by the domestic public? Using the framework of external image management, we unpack the responses from the Zimbabwean government and different Chinese actors to opposition against Chinese investments in Zimbabwe, which were channelled through the domestic Zimbabwean state-media. We show how initially problem-acknowledging coverage shifted towards framing CSOs, journalists and opposition as instruments of Western \u2018smear campaigns-\u2019 and regime-change agendas. Chinese diplomatic and business actors reinforced and internationalised these narratives, while also engaging in direct intimidation and reputational attacks. The case illustrates how Chinese external propaganda and host-country authoritarian strategies become mutually reinforcing, normalises Chinese presence and marginalises contestation. This speaks to broader debates on China\u2019s global image management, civil society repression, and the changing conditions for democracy promotion in the Global South.<\/p>\n

You can access the whole article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In: Contemporary Politics, 1\u201316.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-publication","category-publication-frontpage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJoint authoritarian image management: how China and Zimbabwe defend Chinese operations in the country - EDP Netzwerk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In: Contemporary Politics, 1\u201316. 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