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WASHINGTON: China may be an economic and
military giant in Asia, but it still trails the US and Japan in
exercising “soft power” influence in the region, a new study
revealed Tuesday.
The US in particular remains
highly regarded in all five key areas of “soft power” addressed
in the survey namely economics, culture, human capital, diplomacy,
and politics, said the report by The Chicago Council on Global
Affairs and the East Asia Institute of South Korea.
“China’s growing economic and
military might have not yet been fully translated into the elements
of soft power that help a nation use indirect influence in its
region and the world,” said the report based on public opinion
surveys in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and the US.
It revealed that perceptions of
China’s soft power—the ability to wield influence by indirect,
non-military means—”generally trail those of the United States
and Japan.”
These perceptions persist despite
China’s strong economic relationships in Asia and around the world
and concerted efforts by Beijing to leverage the upcoming summer
Olympic Games to bolster its public image, the report said.
“The findings of this report
clearly illustrate that China is recognized by its neighbors as the
undisputed future leader of Asia, but it still has real work to do
to win hearts and minds in the region,” said Marshall Bouton,
president of The Chicago Council.
“To enhance its credibility in
Asia, China will need to invest more resources in building up its
soft power, especially in the diplomatic, social and cultural
spheres,” he said.
According to the poll, Americans,
Chinese, Japanese and Indonesians all believe that China has the
greatest economic influence of any nation in Asia. South Koreans and
Vietnamese see it trailing only the US.
More than 6,000 interviews were
conducted in January and February 2008 during the survey in the six
nations. It was held before the unrest in Tibet and the Sichuan
earthquake placed a spotlight on events inside China.
The report also said that
contrary to other polls taken since the unpopular US-invasion of
Iraq in 2003, majority of Asians in the surveyed countries still
“admire” the US on many fronts, including economic, diplomatic,
cultural and educational.
They see US military presence in
Asia as a stabilizing force, notably preventing an arms race between
China and Japan, it said.
“Considering negative
perceptions of the United States elsewhere in the world, it was
somewhat surprising to see such strongly positive feelings about the
United States among the Asian countries we surveyed,” said
Christopher Whitney, executive director for studies at The Chicago
Council. “It is clear that the United States still has a strong
foundation upon which to build in the region.”
Another “unexpected” finding
showed that American feelings towards China had deteriorated since
similar surveys were taken by The Chicago Council in 2004 and 2006.
“A significant number of those
questioned expressed general unease about the future of the
relationship,” the study said.
In contrast, Chinese perceptions
of the US have grown noticeably warmer compared to the 2006 survey
and Chinese demonstrate consistently positive attitudes towards US
influence in Asia, it said.
--AFP
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