This study explored the impact of the soft power of international higher education on public diplomacy. This study applied organisational public relations and a social exchange theoretical framework to examine university–student relationships as an exchange element for building soft power and their role in influencing public perception. An online survey was conducted for Nepali students studying at Chinese universities. A path analysis based on structural equation modelling was applied to evaluate the relationships between universities and Nepali students, attitude towards China, willingness to purchase Chinese products and support for Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects. The results revealed that Nepali students’ positive attitude led to interest in purchasing Chinese products and support for the Chinese government’s BRI foreign project.
Kafle et al. (Sun,) studied this question.