France in Asia’s Creative Capital: From Cultural Diplomacy to Cultural Relations?

To what extent does France’s cultural diplomacy take advantage of Hong Kong government policy initiatives? Does France harness, influence or help shape the agenda in developing local cultural and creative industries? To what extent is the French cultural and creative community influenced by their experience in Hong Kong? And what does Hong Kong gain in return? In France cultural policy and diplomacy are actually tied together with the aim to (i) promote dialogue and high-level artistic exchanges and contemporary creation in both the visual arts, the performing arts as well as in music; (ii) ensure the animation and the coordination of the French cultural network abroad, (iii) diffuse French audio-visual production and supports the specialized operators, (iv) promote French cinema by acting with universities and cultural institutions, and (v) promote French participation in the global debate of ideas. Distinguishing between cultural diplomacy that is essentially interest-driven governmental practice and cultural relations, which is ideals-driven and practiced largely by non-state actors, this paper seeks to better understand how existing discourses of cultural diplomacy and/or cultural relations operate in different national contexts, through the case of France in Hong Kong.