Dialogue with Joseph Nye

• Source: Global Times
• [15:58 November 12 2009]
• Comments

Global Times: China now is trying hard to gain more soft power. What do you think of its achievements so far? What's your suggestion to Chinese government to better enhance its soft power?

Nye: I think China has made good steps in terms of improving and increasing its soft power. When President Hu Jintao told the 17th Party Congress that China needed to invest more in soft power, that was followed by a number of useful steps, such as the development of Confucius Institutes, more broadcasting, more foreign students in China, and so forth. In addition I think the Beijing Olympics' success helped to increase China's soft power. I think what hurts Chinese soft power is when incidents are locked up, when their feelings reported in the foreign press about constraints on the ability to speak freely in China, these things hurt Chinese soft power overseas. So extent to which China can count on creating political stability without locking up incidents and without taking steps which prohibit free expression in China, I think that will increase Chinese soft power as well.