Putonghua as a Tool of Strategic Influence

The article analyzes the transformation of China’s language policy under the influence of digitalization and the emergence of a multipolar world. Based on P. Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic capital, the author examines Putonghua as both a tool for social mobility within China and a means of exerting “soft power” beyond its bor-ders. The methodology used in the study includes the institutional analysis, a comparative method, and a criti-cal discourse analysis. The author comes to a conclusion that China’s language policy represents a purposeful strategy that combines the unification of the linguistic space with the preservation of cultural diversity. Particular attention is paid to the dialectics of centralization in the context of multidialectalism, the transformation of the linguistic environment under the influence of digital platforms, as well as the contradiction between universal-ism and cultural sovereignty. It is concluded that China’s language policy is not an isolationist reaction to glob-alization, but a deliberate strategy to restructure both domestic and global order towards multipolarity and the acceptance of civilizational differences. The practical significance of the article lies in its potential application in Russia’s language policy, offering insights from China’s experience

China · Contradiction · Dialectic · Language policy · Restructuring · Unification · Language, Communication, and Linguistic Studies · Multilingual Education and Policy · Sociopolitical Dynamics in Russia