China's soft power strategy vis-a-vis increasing threat perceptions: policies and limitations

Abstract

China is recently being perceived both as a threat and an opportunity with its booming economy and increasing political visibility on a global scale. Perceived as a land of opportunities in economic terms, China cannot be ignored in political terms in the strategic planning of 2050 with its increasing expenditure on military technology and vast population. Based on the lessons learned from Cold War Dynamics, China discovered "soft power" initially in its intellectual sphere and then internalized this phenomenon in the political elites' discourse in order to weaken the above-mentioned perception of threat. Parallel to this discourse, this study examines Chinese soft power, its shortcomings and strengths within the framework of Nye's three pillars of soft power consisting of culture, foreign policy and political values. Comparing these spheres, the study argues that in spite of crucial improvements in the cultural sphere, Chinese soft power is still in an embryonic phase due to the political dynamics of its regime.