The Rising of China's Soft Power

							The Rising of China’s Soft
       Power and
 Its Implications to the
         World

                     Hsin-chih CHEN
   Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
             National Cheng-Kung University
1.   PRC perceptive on soft power.
2.   China’s strategies to improve its soft
     power.
3.   Limits of Chinese soft power exercises.
4.   The implications of China’s soft power
     and Conclusion.
             Definition of soft power
   Soft power is an ability to        Three ways to transform
    attract others; such an             soft power resources into
    attraction serves to persuade       soft power effectiveness.
    others to accept one’s
    purposes without explicit          First, ability to shape the
    threat or violent exchange          preferences of others;
    (Nye, 2004)                        Second, the ability to
                                        legitimate one’s values,
                                        cultures and policies ;
                                       Third, capacity to construct
                                        rules and norms which limit
                                        other’s activities.
     Reasons for PRC to embrace soft
               power idea
1. perspective of soft power promises to improve its
   international position in a peaceful manner.
2. In contrast to its dependency upon hard power raw
   materials, the PRC possesses advantages of abundant
   soft power resources (Chinese traditional culture,
   Confucian values).
3. With the shield of Confucian values, the rise of PRC
   economic and military power is concealed within a
   harmless image of peace.
4. Cases of Chinese hegemony show that Chinese
   domination is beneficial and attractive to its political
   subordinates
China’s Soft Power Initiatives
 Promote Chinese culture and language world
  wide (Confucius Institutes).
 Steer the agenda in international organizations.
 Recreate the Chinese tributary system.
             Confucius Institutes
 In 2006, there are 119 branches in 47 different states;
  26 in the United States, 13 in Thailand, 8 in the
  United Kingdom and Germany, 7 in South Korea, 6
  in Japan, 4 in Canada, France, and Mexico.
 Even though the Chinese presence in the Africa is
  quite remarkable in recent years, there are only 6
  Confucius Institutes on the Africa continent.
 Developed countries, like the United States and
  western European countries, are the major target of
  the PRC cultural offensive.
        Participation in International
                organizations
 Director-General of World Health
  Organization(2006).
 PRC cooperation is essential to any diplomatic
  measure about altering the balance of power in
  the Korean Peninsula, the nuclear non-
  proliferation of Iran, and political situations in
  Sudan and Myanmar (Burma).
 Rebirth of the Chinese tributary system

 Benign hegemony with political supports from
  the secondary states in exchanges of Chinese
  material aids.
 Political coverage (Sudan, Myanmar)
 Security stability (South China Sea)
 Economic aids (African states, Chinese Client
  states)
Limits of China’s soft power exercises

 Uneuqal, rule-of-man, and China-centered
  tributary system attracts only poor and
  authoritian states instead of rich and
  democratic power.
 PRC nowadays is not a smart candidate to
  represent the positive values of Chinese culture
  (Culture Revolution)
Limits of China’s soft power exercises
                (cont.)
 Chinese way of economic development,
  Beijing Consensus, is not mature and
  competitive. (internal imbalance; dependant on
  globalized economic system)
 PRC ironically yields to the old style of
  capitalist production with volunteer obedience.
 China is nothing but a capitalism’s exploitation,
  from the Marxism.
Limits of China’s soft power exercises
                (cont.)
 Important States are curious about China’s military
  build-up (various polls).
 China is a student rather a master in international
  institutions;
 PRC’s capacity to set agendas has not been strong in
  international institutions; China’s influence was
  mostly symbolic in the international institutions; and
  Chinese diplomacy is hampered by relatively weak
  use of rules due to unfamiliarity (Su, 2005).
 PRC may speak loud in the international institutions,
  but few of its ideas reach fruitition.
Limits of China’s soft power exercises
                (cont.)
 PRC lacks skills to implement its soft power
  resources into attractive, effective, and
  substantial measures. (Confucius Institutes
  with few educating supports; poor culture
  industry competitiveness).
 Abundant soft power resources are not equal to
  large soft power.
     Implications of China’s Soft
           Power Exercise
 China takes old strategies, proved unsuccessful in the cold war
  era, to improve its soft power and world influence. (material
  aids, ideological guidance, groups of agriculture, medical, and
  military advisors).
 China can only attract small, poor and isolated countries
  instead of important members of the international society.
 The closer that China is with these authoritarian regimes, the
  less attractive China is to developed and decisive members of
  the world.
 Chinese posture in the world is largely founded on the base of
  material resources rather the normative values of soft power.
                    Conclusion
 The PRC’s use of soft power has not improved
  dramatically during the past decade.
 China astonishes the world with its fast economic
  growth rate and path of military modernization.
  Nevertheless, China can only attract a few
  authoritarian states with material aid.
 Few cases could be found in which the world
  operates according to rules set by the PRC.
 The PRC might be the decisive player to alter the
  international balance of power, but so far, the rise of
  Chinese soft power is far less brilliant than China’s
  material build-up.
Thanks for your attention