Ideological tightening, ever more effective censorship and ramped-up repression – under Xi Jinping the political climate in China has gotten harsher. While China is cranking up its own efforts to make its voice heard in the world, the shrinking space for public opinion and civil society inside the country is making it increasingly difficult for foreign journalists, NGO-workers and diplomats to engage with a Chinese audience. How effective is public diplomacy in China’s heavily state-regulated and insulated media environment? What channels does the German embassy use to convey messages to Chinese decision makers and the general public? How are Journalists dealing with the worsening working conditions? YCW Berlin is looking forward to discuss these and other questions with Alexander Roth, former press officer of the German embassy in Beijing.
About Alexander Roth:
Alexander Roth is a German diplomat. He studied Political Science and China Studies at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg and Shanghai International Studies University and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Among other posts he served as press officer in Kinshasa and Beijing and is currently working in the China division of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.
