China S Non State Soft Power Actors

This book enriches the evolving concept of soft power, and China’s approach to soft power, by considering how aspects of Chinese culture, notably the traditional martial art and health promoting exercise Tai Chi Quan, are being successfully promoted around the world by non-state actors, and how this fits alongside China’s state-sponsored soft power promotion. The book contrasts growing soft power promotion by China with the corresponding decline in such activities by Western states, outlines the growth of Tai Chi Quan societies worldwide and explores in detail why Tai Chi Quan appeals so strongly outside China. It shows how Tai Chi Quan introduces many people around the world to Chinese culture and builds links between people inside China and elsewhere in the world. It concludes that Tai Chi Quan achieves what soft power aims to achieve: a good image and long-term friendship.

"This book enriches the evolving concept of soft power, and China's approach to soft power, by considering how aspects of Chinese culture, notably the traditional martial art and health promoting exercise Tai Chi Quan, are being successfully promoted around the world by non-state actors, and how this fits alongside China's state-sponsored soft power promotion. The book contrasts growing soft power promotion by China with the corresponding decline in such activities by Western states, outlines the growth of Tai Chi Quan societies worldwide and explores in detail why Tai Chi Quan appeals so strongly outside China. It shows how Tai Chi Quan introduces many people around the world to Chinese culture and builds links between people inside China and elsewhere in the world. It concludes that Tai Chi Quan achieves what soft power aims to achieve: a good image and long-term friendship"--

Soft power is overlooked in the field of international relations, dismissed as lacking relevance or robustness as a theoretical concept. This book expands upon the idea of ‘soft power’ in international relations and investigates how soft power actually functions by looking at three case studies in Japan-China relations.

This book examines the phenomenal growth over recent years of StarTimes, a Chinese pay-TV company with around 30 million subscribers providing satellite television to 20 African countries. The broadcaster, whose markets include demographic groups deemed uneconomic by Western television providers, combines entertainment such as Chinese drama and Kung Fu content dubbed into African languages with Chinese state programming, thus making the station at least partially a public diplomacy instrument. At the same time, the channel provides new indigenous language channels, widened access to television in rural areas, and sponsors African soccer brands. The book considers all aspects of StarTimes: how it fits into China’s development assistance programmes; its structure as a private company nonetheless financed by Chinese banks; and, based on extensive interview research in Ghana, Kenya and Zambia, how the station is perceived by media professionals. Overall, the book shows how this major Chinese international media expansion both contributes very significantly to African development in a way which is sensitive to local concerns, and at the same time enhances China’s international image.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of China's use of "soft power" and assesses the impact this is having on the world and on the process of international relations.

Soft power has become a very popular concept in international affairs, appearing in government policy papers, academic discussions, and the popular media. In China, soft power has become one of the most frequently used phrases among political leaders, leading academics, and journalists. Defined against hard power, which often involves threat and coercion, soft power applies attraction, persuasion, and cooperation, finding its sources in culture, political values, and foreign policies. China, rich in culture and traditional philosophy, boasts abundant sources of soft power. Soft Power attempts to analyze the domestic and international views of China's soft power, the main strengths and weaknesses of China's soft power, and the application of soft power in China's international politics. It provides a comprehensive exploration of the soft power dimension in China's foreign relations by integrating views from various disciplines, such as history, education, culture, political economy, comparative politics, and philosophy. The book argues that soft power has become a very popular concept in China, that China is contemplating and exploring an innovative strategy in its rise and international politics, and that there have been quite a few notable elements of this in China's diplomatic practice, including softer rhetoric, promotion of the Chinese culture abroad, economic diplomacy, and image building. The book also argues that the limitations of China's soft power primarily stem from political values and China's own transitions, and reflects the reality that views and opinions regarding China's soft power are fairly diverse both in China and in the international arena.

This book is about how China strives to rebuild its soft power through communication. It recounts China's efforts by examining a set of public diplomacy tactics and programs in its pursuit of a 'new' and 'improved' global image. These case studies invites the reader to a more expansive discussion on the instruments of soft power.

The Dragon''s Hidden Wings is the first comprehensive study on China''s use of soft power. Sheng Ding provides the reader with an insightful empirical study that details China''s economic and political rise on the global scene over the course of the last three decades. This book not only endeavors to examine the connections between the ongoing rise of China and what Joseph Nye defines as soft power, but also attempts to give readers a more complete understanding of China''s national power and modernization process. The main questions addressed are: What are the theoretical and empirical connections between the soft power concept and the rise of China? What are China''s own soft power resources? How has Beijing used soft power to become a major player in the world? What opportunities and challenges does the use of soft power present to China? This study is essential reading for scholars of Chinese politics and foreign policy, and for scholars of international relation interested in the concept and application of soft power.