About the Author(s)
Author is an undergraduate student of BS International Relations, in GC University Lahore. She has outstanding writing skills and vast knowledge of the world.
In International Relations, soft power is the ability to co-opt rather than coerce in contrast with hard power. It entails using attractiveness and appeal to influence other people’s preferences. Soft power, which uses foreign policy, political ideals, and culture to effect change, is non-coercive. Joseph Nye of Harvard University clarified in 2012 that “the best propaganda is not propaganda” when it comes to soft power, adding that “credibility is the scarcest resource” in the Information Age. All parties involved in international politics, including non-governmental organizations and international institutions, are capable of using soft power. Some people also view it as an illustration of the “second face of power,” which deceptively enables people to achieve their desired goals.
China’s Ambition and its rise:
According to the Elcano Royal Institute’s 2018 Elcano Global Presence Report, China came in second place out of 20 countries. According to the research, China’s Influence ranking (2nd) was significantly higher than its Reputation ranking (24th).
China has grown into a major worldwide power that affects international cooperation, the economy, and security. The Communist Party of China (CPC) aspires to a new international order in which liberal principles like democracy and free speech do not dictate policy, the West is no longer the dominant force, and China’s status as a major state grants it the ability to define international affairs. China has been a global power since the ancient times when China was a kingdom. Two questions have been raised by China’s steady rise to global dominance: first, is this country’s rise intentional, and second, what will China do in this role? In response to the first question, a lot of people believe that China’s rise to power was deliberate and well-planned, spearheaded by a single political party and a powerful central government that plays a major role in both the economy and governance. Phrases like “rejuvenation,” “revival,” and “renewal” appear to corroborate this idea. China had already established a great civilization and, via its tributary system, maintained a massive empire with multiple adjacent vassal countries for centuries before the birth of Europe and the US. However there are those who welcome China’s rise and then there are those who find it discomforting . China’s failure to better articulate its position and variances between pronouncements it made on the ground adds to this discomfort and anxiety. Almost all estimates point to China overthrowing the hegemony of the US to become the global largest economy. Some who applaud China’s ascent view it as a role model that should be emulated; they also applaud the arrival of a new international actor with a strong desire to promote multipolarity and diffuse power. Furthermore, they seek to take advantage of China’s offer of “win-win” collaborations through institutions like NDB, AIIB, and “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR), receiving much-needed funding to address their expanding infrastructure development demands without having to undertake difficult and extensive political changes. China’s “no strings attached” and “no conditionalities” policy is praised, particularly by authoritarian regimes that are essentially cut off from access to international aid and financing. However, some contend that this policy deters these states from pursuing necessary reforms to increase accountability, transparency, and respect for human rights,
Transition from Maoist Diplomacy to contemporary soft power strategies:
Maoist diplomacy refers to the foreign policy strategies and principles that were espoused and practiced by countries influenced by Mao Zeodong’s ideology particularly during the mid 20th century. Maoist diplomacy refers to the solidarity with countries and movements and fighting against imperialism and colonialism. This was started as the strategy or a movement to weaken the western power and its global dominance and expand the influence of global dominance.
“The culture (in places where it is attractive to others), its political values (when it lives up to them at home and abroad), and its foreign policies (when others see them as legitimate and having moral authority)” are the three resources Nye claims underpin a nation’s soft power.
China’s transition to soft power is a wide concept and China is steadily increasing its support for cultural exchange, sending doctors and teachers to work abroad, welcoming students to study in China and paying for Chinese language programs abroad.
Experts say Beijing is trying to express its peaceful intentions, secure the resources it needs to continue its soaring economic growth, and isolate taiwan. China plans to build more than 100 new confucius institutes, culture and language centers.
How is china’s soft power is evident in South East Asia:
According to Eric Teo Chu Cheow of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, “Chinese culture, cuisine, calligraphy, cinema, curios, art, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and fashion fads have all emerged in regional culture” in Southeast Asia. Even if those trends may have started in Hong Kong or Taiwan, young people in the area are enthralled with Chinese culture as it is portrayed in movies, pop music, and television. Of the more than 110,000 international students from 178 countries who studied in China in 2004, a sizable portion came from Southeast Asia. This number represented an increase of more than 40% from 2003 and a ten-year high.
How is China’s soft power is evident Latin America:
By comparison to the bad spell that Latin America has had with the United States, China’s kind of a breath of fresh air. Securing resources, like oil, soybeans, and steel, and persuading the several Central and Latin American countries who recognize Taiwan to switch sides are China’s two key goals in the area. In Latin America, China and Taiwan are engaged in a strategic rivalry. Leaders in Latin America are likewise pleased to look to Beijing as a Washington substitute. During his 2004 visit, Chinese President Hu Jintao conveyed the ideal kind of involvement that Latin America had been waiting for from Washington: stronger economic, financial, trade, and technological links.Over the past several years, the Chinese government has invested over $50 billion in Latin American countries through the negotiation of over 400 trade and investment agreements. However, even politicians from Brazil to Paraguay could be promoting commerce with Beijing.
How China’s Soft power deployed in Africa:
China has aggressively pushed an agenda for development in Africa while also securing deals on commodities and energy. China’s soft-power engagement in Africa consists of the following: Forgiving more than $1 billion in debt owed by African nations; Declaring support for Africa in international forums on trade and human rights problems;
Major investments in energy, infrastructure, and agriculture have been made, along with the sending of over 900 physicians to serve throughout Africa and the training of over 100,000 Africans in Chinese military and academic institutions.
China has also strengthened its energy and commerce connections with Africa. Human rights organizations have criticized China for allegedly arming authoritarian governments and supporting dictators in Sudan, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, among other places where China has made significant energy investments. China has responded to these criticisms by constructing roads, hospitals, and bridges in these nations.
China’s Panda Diplomacy:
The practice of China giving Giant pandas as gifts to other nations as a kind of diplomacy is known as “panda diplomacy.”In China, giant pandas are revered as national treasures and seen as messengers of kindness and harmony. Giving pandas as gifts to other nations is regarded as a kind gesture and a means of enhancing diplomatic relations.Panda diplomacy has its origins in the Tang Dynasty (7th–10th century), when Chinese monarchs gave pandas as gifts to their neighbors. However, the 20th century saw a rise in the popularity of contemporary panda diplomacy.All things considered, China’s panda diplomacy—which combines cultural diplomacy with environmental conservation objectives—has proven to be a distinctive and useful instrument in its foreign policy approach. It still contributes to the development of global goodwill and China’s soft power.
We cannot neglect the importance and role of China increasing its soft power in order to become a global hegemon and compete with the economic giant US. All the factors that are described above highlights the importance of China’s soft power along with its hard power strategies to compete and fight against the global soft power giant US.