China’s Soft Power in ASEAN: Opportunities and Challenges

Kitti Prasirtsuk, Ph.D.

Director

Institute of East Asian Studies

Thammasat University

Topics1. What is “soft power”?

2. Analyzing Each Element of China’s Soft Power

- Culture

- Values

- Foreign Policy

3. Conclusion

- Opportunity

- Challenge

Notes: Admittedly, there is variation of receptivity in ASEAN due to diversity of the region.

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1. What is soft power?

• Not hard power (military, coercive nature)

• persuasive power, ability to shape preferences; attraction, admiration, reputation

• E.H. Carr (1939): Power over opinion

• Joseph Nye (2004): 1) culture

2) values

3) foreign policy

overlapped, e.g. cultural diplomacy

• Resources / tools (not always necessarily turned to effect)

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Joseph Nye. Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics (New York:

Public Affairs, 2004).4

Portland, The Soft Power 30, a global ranking of soft power, 2017

The Soft Power 30’s framework broadens a range of factors that contribute

to a

nation’s soft power.

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2. Analyzing Each Element of China’s Soft Power

Culture

• Ethnic Chinese as cultural agents more in every day life

• Chinese new year, Chinese medicine, Fangshui, Taichi etc.

• Confucian Institute (CI) and Classrooms

• Learning Chinese language for economic reasons

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Chinese Traditional Culture

Chinese Opera Chinese food

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China’s Pop Culture

• China is not yet to promote liberal pop culture.

• Movies filled w political agenda, esp. period movies, e.g. Confucius, The Founding of the Republic not much popular

* China: strong on traditional culture but not on contemporary pop culture

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Chinese Movies

The Three KingdomsFounding of the Republic

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Lost in Thailand The Great wall

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China’s Values/Ideas/Concepts

• “harmonious world”

• “Peaceful Rise”

• “Beijing Consensus”

• “Factory of the World”: from low-tech to hi-tech products (including high-speed train, solar cell)

• Now “Market of the World”

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China’s Foreign Policy

• “peaceful rise”/ “peaceful development”

• “good neighbor policy” (renewed by President Xi in 2013)

• Economic assistance

• Cultural Diplomacy

• Panda Diplomacy

• Leader Visits

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Various Initiatives

• Maritime Silk Road

• Maritime Cooperation Fund

• Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

• Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

• Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC)

etc.

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Youth ExchangePanda Diplomacy

Limitations:

- assertive China

- sometimes inconsistent, preoccupied with domestic development/issues

- BRI is bilateral more than multilateral, and not charity.

- mutual interest?

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The Soft Power 30 – A Global Ranking of Soft Power 2017 by Portland , USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Ranking Country Score Ranking Country Score

1France

75.75 16 Belgium 62.8

2United Kingdom

75.72 17 Finland 62.37

3United States

75.02 18 New Zealand 61.96

4Germany

73.67 19 Ireland 60.62

5Canada

72.9 20 Singapore 58.55

6Japan

71.66 21 South Korea 58.4

7Switzerland

70.45 22 Portugal 54.43

8Australia

70.15 23 Greece 52.17

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Sweden

69.32

24 Poland 51.27

10Netherlands

67.89 25 China 50.5

11Denmark

65.48 26 Russia 49.6

12Norway

65.2 27 Czech 48.73

13Italy

64.7 28 Hungary 48.16

14Austria

63.75 29 Brazil 47.41

15Spain

63.57 30 Turkey 45.35

36 Thailand 42.8917

Conclusion

Opportunity: China has plenty of resources that present an ample opportunity for China to augment its soft power.

• Traditional culture through overseas Chinese

• Chinese are receptive to 2-way exchange.

• Effective diplomacy with economic and political influences

• Various initiatives with tangible benefits

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Challenges

• Need to strengthen contemporary pop culture and values.

• Soft power can be overridden by hard conflicts, esp. territorial disputes.

• Nationalist sentiments

• Balance between good neighbor policy and assertiveness.

• How to achieve win-win mutual benefits.

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