ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the fact that although China's public diplomacy remains largely a state-centric endeavour, non-state actors are also increasingly involved, a fact of crucial importance for the case of Confucius Institutes. The Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also covers public diplomacy and information collection and processing. The main actors in the cultural realm include the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). The CPIFA was the People's Republic's first institution engaged in people-to-people diplomacy and it focuses on international issues and foreign policy research, aiming to conduct international exchanges and expand people-to-people diplomatic activities. The Chinese Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) describes itself as China's nationwide non-for-profit organization conducting international educational exchanges in order to promote the advancement of education, culture, science and technology, and strengthening understanding and friendship among the peoples of all countries.
