Activity- Book Talk

In Maria Repnikova’s book talk, there were many ideas that were covered regarding soft power specifically in China. Firstly, she spoke about Chinese soft power, the performance of major Chinese public diplomacy initiatives, and what we fail to understand in current Chinese soft power. We attain a further understanding of China’s Confucius institutions set in place, educational endeavors, and public diplomacy.

In order to attain a grasp of the concepts, Repnikova went over what soft power means. Soft power, instead of coercing an entity, uses no explicit pressure to attract and influence other nations. In the international arena, a dominating country may not succumb to violent methods, but rather, implicit influence in order to exert its power. Repnikova brings up the ideas of Political Scientist Joseph Nye, and his original ideas of soft power is challenged in the context of China. Repnikova reiterates an example that is familiar in this region of the world: after 9/11 and the Iraq War, soft power was relevant in managing a sense of reputation in the Middle Eastern region (Repnikova, 2022).  The term soft power was initially not relevant to this region of the world and was seen more of a Western influence. Slowly, countries in the Global South started exhibiting its soft power. For example, Turkey had soft power regarding the Balkans and Pakistan, Russia had an influence, and the Islamic Republic of Iran exerted a degree of soft power in the Middle East.

After establishing the relevance of soft power, Repnikova goes onto describe soft power in China, and the ways in which it is sought. In order to increase their power, many efforts have been made by China. China, in comparison to the United States, has spent billions of dollars into strengthening their soft power. Terms such as wenhua ruan shili, huayu quan, and daguo xingxing become relevant in addressing China’s soft power, and its ascendance to a global influence (Repnikova, 2022). In a diplomatic lens, there have been incredibly important economic deals that have been made over the course of years (Repnikova, 2022). Education has played an incredible role in increasing power as well. China’s education sector has valued lower costs of education, as well as scholarships, especially for students from low-income backgrounds from the Global South (Repnikova, 2022). In some cases, there have been jobs allocated to these students. Additionally, Chinese media oftentimes recruits journalists and translators to further their image (Repnikova, 2022). In China, there is the emphasis on their national success, and helpful attitudes, thereby shaping public opinion to regard China in the best manner.

It is important to note that China’s means of attaining soft power has been subject to international scrutiny, and therefore, has reduced their successes in garnering the international power that they have envisioned. In the Media and Politics minor, I have been exposed to the ways in which countries seek power, usually through their hegemonic tendencies, cultural practices and dominating media messages. It would be interesting to fathom if this plays a role in the limited successes in China’s soft power as opposed to other countries.