Congratulations to Bai Lu on the successful defense of her dissertation!
Bai Lu, a PhD candidate at the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, has successfully defended her dissertation and obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in specialty 291 “International Relations, Public Communications and Regional Studies.”
Dissertation topic:
“Foreign Policy Instruments for Shaping the Image of the PRC in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe”
Academic supervisor: Professor Serhii Ivanovych Danylenko, Head of the Department of International Media Communications and Communication Technologies of the Institute of International Relations.
Bai Lu’s path to academic achievement was filled with challenges. She arrived in Ukraine in 2012, marking the beginning of her academic journey. Ukrainian is quite difficult for native speakers of Chinese due to significant linguistic differences, yet through perseverance and daily effort she mastered the language successfully. Living in Ukraine, Bai Lu not only improved her linguistic competence but also gained deep insight into the country’s cultural and social specifics, which sparked her increased interest in regional aspects of international relations. By the time she entered the PhD program, she already had seven years of experience living in Ukraine, which contributed to a deeper understanding of the processes she studied and helped shape her academic interests.
In her dissertation, she conducted a detailed analysis of China’s foreign policy towards Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus, examined the development of bilateral relations, and explored the tools of public diplomacy and strategies for shaping the PRC’s image in the region. Her unique scholarly approach made it possible to identify the key priorities of China’s foreign policy, the specific features of its diplomatic instruments, and the factors influencing the perception of China in the three aforementioned countries.
We sincerely congratulate Bai Lu on her successful defense and wish her new academic achievements and continued professional growth!
