Functions of Soft Power in China's Foreign Policy

Soft Power is one of the most important aspects of China’s foreign strategy in the new century. The Chinese soft power is seen as mainly a tool for defensive, rather than offensive, goals. Chinese goals are: establishing stability and peace with all countries, cultivating a better image of China, correcting foreign states’ misperceptions of the country and refuting the “China threat” thesis, securing energy supply for the continuation of economic development targeting more cooperation with developing countries, building a network of allies and making attempts for competition based on soft power vis-à-vis great powers in the long run. In the present paper, assessing China`s soft power sources and tools, authors come to the conclusion that sources of China`s soft power are based on three elements including culture, political values and the nature and style of foreign policy, as they are defined by Joseph Nye. However, China`s soft power approach is considerably different from what is defined by Nye. China`s view on soft power is based on Chinese traditional culture, while Nye`s account ofUS soft power expresses the American contemporary culture.Nye emphasisesthe attraction of American political values and institutions such as democracy and human right, whereas Chinese political values are found in all of the three categories of Chinese soft power sources, including culture, economy and politic. Chinese political values cannot be isolated from its culture and economy.Confucianistvalues such as the “harmonisedworld”, the attraction of Chinese economic development model (the Beijing Consensus), and goodneighbor policy are respectively underlined in Chinese realms of culture, economy and politics.