China will position itself as free trade's new champion at an Asia-Pacific summit this weekend, with the Communist government seeking to project economic leadership as a U.S.-led Pacific Rim trade pact languishes under President-elect Donald Trump.

Beijing sees sporting prowess as a key soft power weapon and sensitivities over China’s performance at Rio 2016 led Chinese television censors to briefly stymie the BBC World broadcast about the plight of China’s gymnasts. The screen went black, as routinely occurs during stories considered politically inconvenient to the Communist Party. 

A group of Polish musicians and artists has held an exhibition in Beijing as part of a cultural exchange. The tour is part of a national-level initiative between China and Poland, that stretches from 2016 to 2019. The group will visit 6 cities in China.

"President Xi Jinping has said that Beijing should be built up as a center for communication. Citizens should be encouraged to learn more foreign languages and there should be more cultural exchanges between different cities to make the 2022 Winter Olympics more successful." said Hao Xuezeng.

Perhaps less apparent is the fact that the multiple dimensions of Beijing’s coercive diplomacy have been complemented by the Communist Party of China’s renewed utilization of people-to-people relations in order to advance political objectives.

To promote cultural exchange between China and South Korea,  Korean Culture Day was held at the Korean Cultural Centre in Beijing on Wednesday. [...] As part of the activities, students from the Korea National University of Arts in South Korea, the Manhattan School of Music in New York and China's Central Conservatory of Music presented traditional Korean folk songs and classical Chinese music.

Bruce Lui, senior journalism lecturer at Hong Kong's Baptist University, said Phoenix operates with the full blessing of the Chinese government and represents the face of Beijing's "soft power." [...] "The traditional state media format is getting a little tired, so China is encouraging certain private-sector entrepreneurs to preach its message in more attractive packaging," he said.

Korea and China celebrate the 24th anniversary of diplomatic relations on Aug. 24, but bilateral ties have suffered considerably in recent months due to Seoul's decision to deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system here. Amid rising tensions between the two countries, President Park Geun-hye will visit China to attend the 11th G20 summit in Hangzhou on Sept. 4 to 5.