Cultural diplomacy and Sansha Yinlong Cinema

Symbolic of expanding spatial control through the medium of culture, China has built the Sansha Yinlong Cinema, with the 4K projectors and more than 200 seats, on a small disputed island of South China Sea. It’s known as Woody island–which China calls Yongxing Island. Establishing territorial claim through the establishment of this cinema hall is of diplomatic significance as located 320 kms from China’s Hainan province, this is an island that has been claimed by both Taiwan and Vietnam. The Hall is run by the Hainan, Media Group which intends to screen at least one film a day which the soldiers and residents of Yongxing Island can watch along with other moviegoers of China. To facilitate wide scale screening, it has bought two mobile projection units that the company intends to use for screening films for free in other islands of South China Sea. Considering that it’s  disputed territory, this measure from China can well be seen as an instance of ‘soft’ cultural diplomacy.