The Asian Voice
China's soft power success story in Indonesia: Jakarta Post contributor
The writer says China needs to double its efforts to change the way its neighbors here and far look at it.
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The Chinese national flag is seen in Beijing on April 29, 2020.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Kornelius Purba
JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - When I read the full text of the policy speech made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday (July 11), in which he highly praised the achievements of his country and Asean, I immediately remembered Joseph Samuel Nye Jr's concept of soft power, which he introduced in the late 1980s.
The Harvard University professor's explanation may be helpful to understand why China continues to face serious challenges in convincing the international community about its soft approach. China is the most important trading partner of not just Asean but also many countries across the globe.