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

1. 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

2. PRC perceptive on soft power. • China’s strategies to improve its soft power. • Limits of Chinese soft power exercises. • The implications of China’s soft power and Conclusion.

3. Soft power is an ability to attract others; such an attraction serves to persuade others to accept one’s purposes without explicit threat or violent exchange (Nye, 2004) Three ways to transform soft power resources into soft power effectiveness. First, ability to shape the preferences of others; Second, the ability to legitimate one’s values, cultures and policies ; Third, capacity to construct rules and norms which limit other’s activities. Definition of soft power

4. Reasons for PRC to embrace soft power idea • perspective of soft power promises to improve its international position in a peaceful manner. • In contrast to its dependency upon hard power raw materials, the PRC possesses advantages of abundant soft power resources (Chinese traditional culture, Confucian values). • With the shield of Confucian values, the rise of PRC economic and military power is concealed within a harmless image of peace. • Cases of Chinese hegemony show that Chinese domination is beneficial and attractive to its political subordinates

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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).

8. 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)

9. 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)

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Thanks for your attention