Propaganda and Power: A Study of China’s Global Rise and North Korea’s Retreat

Propaganda has long been a tool of authoritarian rule to influence public opinion, but it serves starkly different purposes in the hands of Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. While both leaders rely on state-controlled messaging to maintain power, their strategies differ in shaping their countries’ roles on the global stage. Xi Jinping, who has consolidated power as China’s most influential leader since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, uses propaganda to project national strength and promote global integration. His messaging positions China as an emerging superpower, reinforcing economic expansion and diplomatic influence. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un, the third member of the Kim family to rule North Korea, employs propaganda to reinforce self-sufficiency and isolation. His regime’s messaging glorifies military strength and independence, rejecting foreign influence and limiting the country’s engagement with the outside world. These contrasting approaches not only shape public perception within each nation but also define their international standing; one strengthening its global presence, the other withdrawing further into isolation.

Under Xi Jinping, propaganda fuels national pride and showcases the rise of China as a dominant power in the world. Films, videos, and public speeches portray Xi Jinping as a visionary leader, who is essential in guiding China through this transformative era and restoring China to its rightful place at the center of the global system. This narrative rejects China’s early 20th century reputation as a victim of foreign powers and instead positions itself as a country reclaiming its former status as a major world power. In particular, propaganda surrounding the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) serves as a symbol of the revived strength and leadership of China. The BRI is China’s global infrastructure project that builds roads, railways, and ports to boost trade and expand its political influence in countries around the world. By framing the BRI as proof of China’s growing role in the global economy, Xi’s propaganda strengthens nationalism at home while also projecting the country’s integration into and influence over international systems abroad.

By tying China’s success to his leadership of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping uses propaganda to justify his centralization of power, rally public support, and legitimize China’s push for greater global influence. Beyond the BRI, his diplomatic agenda extends to transforming global standards in Internet governance and human rights to reflect Chinese values. By strategically securing influential positions within international institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Xi has sought to shape the liberal international order by steering global policy debates and advancing proposals aligned with its model of governance. One key example of this effort is China’s role in promoting state control over digital information, a topic that is now being seriously debated within the United Nations. This initiative is symbolic of China’s broader ambitions to reshape how the world thinks about freedom of expression and privacy. Through broadcasting these messages in party-controlled media, Xi challenges the liberal ideals that are prevalent in Western political thought by promoting an alternative vision that values stability and control over personal freedoms. Xi’s rhetoric solidifies China’s determination not only to assert its influence on the global stage but to fundamentally alter international norms in ways that reflect the ideological priorities of the Communist Party.

In contrast, Kim Jong-un uses propaganda as a tool to promote isolation through emphasizing themes of self-reliance and the protection of his family’s legacy. Kim’s emphasis on the historical role of his family as the architects of Juche, North Korea’s state ideology of being completely self-sufficient, reinforces the association between his family and North Korea’s identity and positions his regime as crucial to the nation’s survival. In presenting himself as the protector of Juche, Kim’s propaganda creates a narrative that emphasizes North Korea’s need for independence and strength from within the state and fosters a worldview where the outside world is seen as threatening or unnecessary for their domestic progress. State-controlled media serves as a mouthpiece for Kim’s cult of personality, extending beyond news reports to literature and fiction that reinforce his authority. Propaganda novels and state-approved stories are designed not just to entertain but to shape North Korean culture, instilling unwavering loyalty and ideological devotion to Kim’s regime.

This deeply ingrained propaganda, embedded within North Korea’s national consciousness, reinforces Kim’s vision of a resilient, self-sufficient North Korea that rejects outside influence. By portraying engagement with Western nations as a threat to sovereignty, Kim limits opportunities for economic partnerships, diplomatic engagement, and participation in the global order. Facing increasing international isolation, North Korea has deepened its dependence with China which has become the regime’s primary economic partner. Today, China accounts for as much as 95% of North Korea’s foreign trade, playing a major role in the regime’s economic survival. North Korean propaganda frames its growing reliance on China as a strategic partnership rather than dependence, reinforcing the regime’s narrative of self-sufficiency while justifying its diplomatic isolation in the face of Western sanctions and pressure. At the same time, North Korea has continued to expand its relationship with Russia; Vladimir Putin’s landmark visit to Pyongyang in 2000 marked the beginning of a renewed partnership, focused on mutual concerns over Western influence and the desire to strengthen economic cooperation. In 2024, the continued engagement between Russia and North Korea demonstrates a shared interest in resisting U.S. and Western pressures, further solidifying Kim’s diplomatic strategy of fostering selective alliances to strengthen its position against Western sanctions and improve its options for economic and military cooperation in an increasingly constrained global environment. By aligning closely with China and Russia, Kim Jong-un’s propaganda continues to effectively shield North Korea from external political and economic pressures, reinforcing its determination to preserve its political autonomy and resist Western influence. In viewing the international environment as inherently hostile, Kim uses this perceived threat to justify its strict adherence to the Juche ideology in his propaganda, emphasizing national unity and military development. This defensive posture reinforces its isolation, as North Korea resists international engagement, prioritizing sovereignty and ideological purity over shaping global development.

Chinese propaganda under Xi focuses on global legitimacy, but North Korean propaganda under Kim focuses more on independence from the rest of the world. These differing strategies highlight each leader’s vision for their country but also reflect their response to the current liberal world order; Xi pursues global recognition which makes him a more effective leader at expanding China’s international influence, while Kim rejects integration and preserves North Korea’s sovereignty through isolation.

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Biography of Author

Annabel Gensler is a Political Science and Pre-Law Student at the University California Berkeley. Previously she has done work at the California Public Utility Commission and the San Mateo County Board of Commissioners.

Edited by: Sam Lynch, MPP ’26 // Gautham Sharma, MPP ’26