In late December, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Yasukuni Shrine, regardless of objections from countries that were victims of Japanese invasion in WWII. The move added fuel to the flames of the already-tense Sino-Japanese relations.

China didn't sit still. Chinese Ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming debated with his Japanese counterpart over the two sides' long-standing territorial disputes on BBC's Newsnight.

He also referenced the evil character from Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort, to describe Japan's militarism. Liu's performance on the TV won applause from British viewers as well as China's millions of netizens.

The Newsnight appearance was a follow-up to an opinion piece by Liu in London's Daily Telegraph newspaper, blasting Japan's provocative moves. Following Liu, more than 30 Chinese ambassadors published signed articles in local newspapers, condemning Abe's shrine visit.

It is quite encouraging to see these ambassadors voice their stance one after another when relations between China and Japan are at the lowest point since the normalization of bilateral ties in 1972. It can also be viewed as a new phase of China's public diplomacy.

Given that China and Japan have developed close economic ties and social connections in the past, the bilateral political relationship cannot become that hopeless, and will return to a normal state in the long run. Therefore, at this moment, China should try to win support from the international community.

Japan is not only provoking a single country like China, but also tries to challenge the postwar world order. The US, despite being annoyed by Japan's words and deeds, has to secure its alliance with Japan. With the US left embarrassed, it is time that China shoulders its responsibility as a major global power.

National ambassadors are supposed to know their host country well. They are also supposed to know how their opinions can be disseminated and how to make the foreign public accept their viewpoints.

Admittedly, China differs from many countries in terms of beliefs and values. In the media of these countries, doubting voices could be heard.

But as China's global status rises, they have become willing to listen to China, because China's relations with Japan will more or less affect their own interests as well.

Five or 10 years back, it would have been unimaginable if over 30 Chinese ambassadors collectively published articles in the media worldwide.

China is slowly learning to handle public diplomacy. In the past couple of years, China has been trying to boost the popularity of its image through a number of events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. It has also founded many Confucius Institutes across the globe. Nonetheless, all these have had arguably limited efficacy.

The success of China's public diplomacy, after all, will be determined by the country's soft power. Soft power, an idea devised by political scientist Joseph Nye, includes two aspects: cultural attractiveness and the capability to make rules.

For China, Abe's aggressive moves have offered an opportunity to increase China's discourse power on the world stage as well as maintaining the postwar world order and the international morality and justice.

China's efforts in this aspect will generate more positive results than those top-down schemes that will help facilitate China's rule-making capabilities.

In the long run, China's NGOs or social groups should also be mobilized to take part in China's public diplomacy.

The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Wang Wenwen based on an interview with Sun Cheng, director of East Asian Research Center at the China University of Political Science and Law. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn