China's Million Businessman Army

Welcome to June! The month of Summer. I thought it would never come, but behold! Here we are and I assume that in no time it'll be gone...

Today, for my lucky 77th post, I want to talk about a little known, but powerful, tool of international relations. It's called "soft-power" (perhaps even charm power) and traditionally it's been the main tool of Europe in governing international affairs since World War 2. Now the tides are turning and China is starting to pick up soft power steam. An article in the Asia Sentinel goes into depth on soft power and China's slow acquisition of it, so I'll use their definition (which I thought was quite good):

More than a decade ago, the Harvard academic Joseph Nye invented a concept he called soft power—a concept that then entered foreign policy discourse. As Nye explained, “soft power rests on the ability to shape the preferences of others. . . . It is leading by example and attracting others to do what you want.” “If I can get you to do what I want, then I do not have to use carrots or sticks to make you do it,” Nye wrote.

This attractiveness could be called a nation’s “brand,” and it can be conveyed through various means, including a country’s popular and elite culture, its public diplomacy (government-funded programs intended to influence public opinion abroad), its businesses’ actions abroad, international perception of its government’s policies, and the gravitational pull of a nation’s economic strength, among other factors. When Nye coined the term soft power he excluded elements like investment and trade and formal diplomacy and aid—elements he considered more concrete carrots and sticks.

“Soft power is not merely the same as influence,” Nye wrote. “After all, influence can also rest on the hard power of threats or payments.” Nye focused purely on the attractiveness of a nation’s brand, of its values and ideals and norms.

Thanks to the media, we've all seen China's happy business man, now China's president Hu Jintao just happens to be the happiest China man in town. His new emerging empire is aimed at using this million businessman army to wield control of, not just Asia, but the world. Perhaps you've been told this, but the first symbol for China "中" means at-the-center or middle. Often the word translates to "Middle Empire," indeed at one time in history, China occupied the role of being the richest and most powerful & populated country in the world. As of late, only the later (most populated) has retained its value, but Hu Jintao pledges all of that is about to change.

“Charm Offensive” traces trace how China has built its global soft power, analyzes how China uses that power, and considers how nations are responding to Beijing. It focuses primarily on China’s wooing of developing nations in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia, but occasionally addresses how China woos other key nations in Asia, like Australia, South Korea, or Russia. It does not, however, directly analyze the US-Chinese relationship, or China’s relationship with wealthy nations in Europe or the Middle East.

Charm Offensive is a new strategy that aims at offering riches to countries that America might not deal with (i.e. Sudan), saying that China doesn't care what your domestic or foreign policy is, "We are so happy to do business with you!" Charming as that maybe we should not forget that China still owns a very big stick. We must also not forget that for years, China used hard power (the power of military) to define its strength and it's likely that, in its early stages, China may wield this newfounded soft power like it wielded its hard power...

China now can wield this kind of soft power, and may use it to remake the world. China’s policies could make it easier for Chinese actors, from language schools to businesspeople to Chinese pop stars, to have an impact on the ground. And China’s new benign image, in places from Australia to Argentina, will help Beijing execute its foreign policy more successfully.

Unlike Europe, who uses its soft power (read: guilt & trip laying power) to change the world, China's case may be different. It's unthinkable to suggest that cheap tee-shirts and plastic goods might control our foreign policy one day, but wait a minute... So far China has bank-rolled our mission in Iraq.. I say that our focus has been deferred long enough. It's already unfortunate that the '08 elections will be focused on Iraq and not East-Asian Policy. I think that people still see China as being the "mysterious other" and its just that image that could potentially zap us in the (Chinese made) fly zapper 2000 faster then any middle eastern country can.

Link to the Asia Sentinel: A Newly Diplomatic China Courts the World

~J out