UC Irvine

China’s soft power faces skepticism in Western contexts despite its global achievements. In Kyrgyzstan, a country historically influenced by Russia and increasingly engaged with China, the geopolitical and normative alignment between China and Russia offers a distinct environment for Chinese soft power. Here we analyze 14 waves of the Central Asia Barometer survey using Bayesian multilevel models to examine how Kyrgyz citizens’ cultural affinity with Russia and consumption of Russian media shape their perceptions of China. Our findings reveal that Russian soft power indirectly enhances China’s image and acceptance of its economic engagement through both passive cultural-political alignment and active media exposure. These results suggest that geopolitical partnerships can serve as critical channels for soft power transmission, highlighting the relational and contextual nature of soft power beyond Western normative frameworks.