The article is devoted to the study of cultural diplomacy of the People's Republic of China as one of the key tools for the implementation of the ‘soft power’ strategy in the transformation of the global international order. The relevance of the topic is determined by the growing importance of culture in the formation of a positive international image and strengthening the influence of the state in the foreign policy arena. The aim of the study is to analyse the PRC's strategic approaches to cultural diplomacy, to identify the specifics of its functioning, and to assess its effectiveness in terms of both China's official discourse and international perception. The scientific novelty of the paper lies in the attempt to comprehensively understand cultural diplomacy as a synthesis of ideological, institutional and communicative mechanisms. Methodologically, the paper relies on an interdisciplinary approach, including discourse analysis, systemic method and comparative approach. The paper concludes that while China's model of cultural diplomacy is large-scale and institutionalised, its effectiveness is limited by the contradictions between its stated values and the country's actual domestic policy. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the specifics of Chinese soft power and represents a contribution to the development of academic discourse in the field of international relations, foreign policy and public diplomacy. practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of their application in shaping foreign policy strategies and analysing China's international image.