Chinese Soft Power in South Asia

A new book by B. M. Jain looks at Chinese soft power and its effectiveness in the region. The book China's Soft Power Diplomacy in South Asia: Myth or Reality? explores relations between the great power and countries like Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. According to the author, the main aims of the book are:

1. To explain the ongoing intellectual discourse on cultural soft power and the "harmonious world" as instruments of China's foreign policy in an attempt to offer a Sino-centric world order opposed to the hegemony of the West in realms of peace, development, and global governance.
2. To illustrate and explore whether China's ancient cultural norms and social values and its philosophical underpinnings based on the Confucius thought have the potency as sources of soft power to attract others to embrace China's worldview.
3. To examine the underlying motives behind China's drive for using soft power instruments such as foreign aid, grants, scholarships, and diplomatic support to South Asian countries.
4. To examine a host of research questions to decipher motivations behind China's launching of soft power diplomacy in South Asia.

The book is available for purchase here on Rowman & Littlefield's website in either hardcover or eBook format.