Re: China understands hard power

In Reply to: China understands soft power posted by DSCBruin on May 27, 2025 at 12:28:56

My understanding of "soft power" is that it is cultural influence.

China understands hard power.

They understand that they are in a struggle with us that may be existential. We are still in a Nixon-in-China-this-is-a-massive-market place. The people with money, lot's of money, don't want to be in a struggle with China that may be existential. But, China is the honeybadger.

Belt and Roads is hard power. Intimidating professors or turning them into assets is hard power. Putting spy ware in tons of things that it exports is hard power.

I'm very nearly culturally illiterate in current terms. And, though I've traveled, I'm not well versed in the perception of China around the world. Maybe China has a cultural cache around the world that I'm missing. But, what I'm seeing from China is a lot of hard power.

Follow Ups:

• That's not exactly what soft power is Dr.J 13:46:29 05/27/25 (10)
  • I over simplified. Here's a CFR article on Soft Power TheHappyBurgermeister 15:41:53 05/27/25 (7)
    • It's never going to be one or the other DSCBruin 16:26:15 05/27/25 (6)
      • Never suggested it was one or the other TheHappyBurgermeister 17:38:58 05/27/25 (2)
        • I know nothing about Belt and Road DSCBruin 09:41:17 05/28/25 (1)
          • Yep, I was thinking of usaid * TheHappyBurgermeister 16:52:44 05/28/25 (0)
      • Mostly true . . . Dr.J 17:31:05 05/27/25 (0)
      • This is a key point blindness 16:45:08 05/27/25 (0)
      • Addendum DSCBruin 16:29:12 05/27/25 (0)
  • And if you do need to use coercion DSCBruin 13:52:54 05/27/25 (1)
    • Exactly Dr.J 14:15:18 05/27/25 (0)

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