Soft Power: A Comparison of Discourse and Practice in Russia and China

This article compares soft power as a normative and operational construct in the Russian and Chinese political context. I examine Russian and Chinese discourse on soft power as well as the efforts of the Kremlin and Beijing to devise programmes for its implementation. I then compare and evaluate the similarities and differences in Russian and Chinese soft power strategy. The similarities between the two states indicate their joint status as authoritarian regimes with a Marxist–Leninist heritage. The differences can be attributed to their vastly disparate economic circumstances, but also to historical, social, and political factors that influence soft power policies.     

South Korea's State-led Soft Power Strategies: Limits on Inter-Korean Relations

Abstract

The South Korean government has taken on many of Joseph Nye's ideas as it is promoting a state-led soft power in the form of the cultural hallyu, foreign aid, and domestically, a future-orientated rebranding of South Korea as a multicultural state. Soft power is understood in instrumental terms as well as in more substantive terms. This state-led multiculturalism has challenged widely held beliefs in ethnic homogeneity which have been the mainspring of national identity and national security in South Korea. These beliefs have underscored inter-Korean relations as the two states officially share beliefs despite political and ideological differences. The growing significance of such state-led multiculturalism in Global Korea to attract foreign workers can be linked to a myriad of intentional and unintentional strategic issues arising from this form of state-led soft power promotion. This is particularly significant given the sensitive culture and identity across the East Asian region.     

中国软实力:瓶颈与增进之道

“天下之至柔,驰骋天下之至坚,无有入无间,吾是以知无为之有益”。老子一语道出了软实力的真谛。当今世界,国家实力不仅仅包括经济、军事、自然资源等物质方面的硬实力因素,更蕴含着政治、文化、价值、意识形态等精神方面的软实力因素,软实力日益成为21世纪世界权力竞争的焦点。     

在对外交往中提升中国国家软实力的几点思考

硬实力是指看得见、摸得着的物质力量;软实力所指的就是精神力量,包括政治力、文化力、外交力等软要素。两者紧密联系,各有侧重,可以说是相辅相成,共同组成了一国的综合实力。在当前的国际格局中,各国博弈的形式更加复杂,而在软实力上的竞争更是日益重要。中国有着悠久的历史和文化传统,也拥有相当规模的经济、科技和军事实力,及其有本国特色的社会制度和治理模式,但她还远不是一个软实力强国。如同发展中国家身份一样．中国的国家软实力也处于“发展中”阶段。     

国外提高文化软实力的主要做法和经验

“软实力”这个概念由美国哈佛大学教授约瑟夫·奈于1990年首次提出。按照奈的界定,软实力是指通过吸引力而非强制手段,让他人做你想让他们做的事,是一种能够影响他人喜好的能力。奈还认为,文化、政治价值观及外交政策是衍生软实力的三大来源。软实力概念的提出,启示各国在当今世界激烈的综合国力竞争中,文化与经济、政治相互交融,地位和作用越来越突出。     

China: The New Global Model for Development

Globalization may yet repeal the Biblical adage that the poor will always be with us. But for now there are enough losers to go along with the winners that a slide back toward fragmentation and protectionism is a distinct possibility, as was also the case at the turn of the 20th century. Our contributors in this section offer their advice on how to make globalization work for everyone.     

NGO：国际视野与中国发展

温家宝总理在2009年十一届全国人大二次会议上的政府工作报告,将“统筹推进城乡社区建设,促进社会组织健康发展”,作为“加强民主法制建设,积极稳妥地推进政治体制改革,发展社会主义民主政治”的一项内容。     

全球技术革命中的可持续性标准与对华影响

在全球技术革命不断演进的背景下,标准问题日渐成为国家间经济与科技竞争的焦点。随着联合国2030年可持续发展议程进入落实阶段,可持续性标准也成为最具潜力的技术治理手段之一。当前,由西方发达国家不同行为体推动形成的自愿性可持续性标准体系正在对广大发展中国家产生复杂的影响。许多发展中国家在采纳和推广西方标准的同时,也面临新的贸易壁垒。值得关注的是,西方背景的自愿性可持续性标准大量兴起,其中一部分已沦为发达国家向发展中国家推卸责任、转移压力甚至进行政治打压的工具。尤其对中国等新兴大国,更是如此。西方可持续性标准给中国带来政治风险的同时,也推动中国积极塑造自身的可持续性标准体系。展望未来,中国应继续在政府主导下,鼓励和支持国内相关行业组织联合产业界、国际标准机构以及其他国际组织,共同培育更加完善的自主可持续性标准体系,从而对冲和化解西方发达国家以可持续性标准之名行打压之实的风险。     

Renminbi appreciation and Global Value Chains in China: exploring the linkages

China has experienced a rapid integration into Global Value Chains and a decade long appreciation of its exchange rate. However, these trends have been analysed largely in isolation from each other. In this paper, we explore the linkages between the two based on interviews with a sample of firms in Jiangsu Province. We show (1) how the distribution of the costs and benefits of exchange rate appreciation depends on the power hierarchies between firms in GVCs; (2) how exchange rate changes are important drivers of upgrading and even downgrading in GVCs; and (3) that the firm heterogeneity evident in GVCs provides additional insights into the politics of exchange rate determination in China.