China's soft power in Asia: projection and profile. By Xueliang Ding

Abstract

China's soft power in Asia: projection and profile. By Xueliang Ding. Beijing: The Oriental Press. 2014. 205pp. ¥38.00. ISBN 978 7 5060 7555 8. In China's soft power in Asia, Xueliang Ding, a well-known professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, explores the weaknesses of China's current soft power policies towards neighbouring countries (especially China's South-East Asian neighbours), which have not only caused inappropriate policy practice, but also prevented China from achieving the anticipated goals of soft power strategies. In this analytically sophisticated and critical book, Ding advances two fundamental assumptions for China's soft power policies. First, China's soft power pales in comparison with its hard power. As Ding reveals, the main beneficiaries of China's soft power policies can only be classified into two categories: ‘foreigners from African or Islamic countries’ and ‘western experts and students of China studies’ (p. 87). The former are engaging or planning to invest in business with China, and the latter take China as the object of study. That is to say, China's hard power is still not transformed into soft power in an effective way. The second assumption is that South-East Asia is the best touchstone for China's soft power policies, because there are around 30 million Chinese living in this region, who are more inclined to accept China's values and lifestyle. If China's soft power policies could not work in South-East Asia, how can we expect these policies to get significant results in the West?