Political-communication asymmetries in digital space: WeChat and VK as “soft power” tools in Russia–China relations

This study examines how China’s WeChat and Russia’s VK - two nationally dominant social media platforms - shape the representation of bilateral relations and the implementation of “soft power” in the digital space. It employs a mixed-methods approach, combining content analysis of posts (2021-2025), network analysis of content dissemination, and discursive mapping of key narratives. The analysis revealed that the Chinese model, embodied by WeChat, constitutes a highly effective system for centralized management of political narratives, ensuring exceptional consistency in messaging about strategic partnership. The Russian platform VK demonstrates an alternative approach, combining elements of state regulation with relative freedom for public discourse, creating a more pluralistic yet less controlled communication space. These differences stem not only from the platforms' technical features but also reflect deeper divergences in political cultures and conceptions of digital sovereignty. Social media have not merely become a new channel for disseminating political narratives - they have fundamentally altered the very nature of international communication, making it more interactive, algorithm-driven, and dependent on platform architecture. This necessitates the development of new analytical frameworks capable of accounting for both the technological specificities of digital ecosystems and their interplay with traditional foreign policy institutions.

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