Reference News Network, July 17 report: Russia's "Nезависимая Gazeta" published an article on July 16 titled "China is Becoming a More Attractive Country Than the United States." The author is Vladimir Skosarev. The main content is translated as follows:
This week, Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations released a report accusing the Trump administration of providing China with an opportunity to surpass the United States and become a more influential power. The report stated that China is filling the vacuum left by the Trump administration's shutdown of international aid programs, cutting research funding, and creating rifts among its allies. The most senior representative of the Democrats on the committee, Jeanne Shaheen, said, "This administration has repeatedly made decisions that prevent us from jointly addressing China's actions."
Naturally, questions arise: Is Shaheen exaggerating the threat posed by China to influence public opinion? Although there are serious tensions between the U.S. and China over issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, Beijing is carefully considering its strategy toward the United States and other Western countries and has no intention of engaging in military adventures. The real situation is that China is consolidating its global position through means such as the dissemination of soft power.
Alexander Lomanov, vice director of the Institute for World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, pointed out that the concept of soft power was introduced to China from the United States, proposed by Harvard scholar Joseph Nye. Twenty years ago, China embraced this idea with great enthusiasm because it was timely. This concept aligned with China's traditional understanding of international relations: achieving influence not through force or conflict, but through the spread of Chinese culture and its worldview. Currently, promoting soft power is a priority for China, but its connotation has significantly expanded compared to twenty years ago. China has incorporated intellectual dialogue with foreign countries and the creation of influential think tanks into its strategy, with international forums becoming an important platform for projecting soft power. The Global Civilization Initiative proposed by Chinese leaders in 2023 is a key focus.
For developing countries, the emphasis is not on economic aid, but on building mechanisms that stimulate the economic development of partner countries, including investment and intercultural dialogue. The biggest difference between China and the United States lies in the latter's self-isolation, using profitable deals, raising tariffs, and other pressure tactics to send messages to the world. In contrast, Beijing emphasizes inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation. China's rich and diverse culture can also enhance its soft power.
China is committed to presenting itself as a country with deep culture, open-mindedness, and rapid development, so many people in various countries are increasingly interested in learning the Chinese language.
Alexander Lukin, head of the academic department at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized that a country's soft power can attract other countries to align with it. Some American scholars accuse China of having no soft power, only a lot of money, and using money to make poor countries "dependent" on it. However, such views are completely wrong, since economic power does not equate to soft power. (Translated by Tong Shiqun)
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527885554332008998/
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