Soft Power as opposed to Hard Power is not at all new to the developing world. The concept of Non-alignment, for example, is a manifestation of this species of power which, essentially, is an expression of a country’s or a group of countries’ humanistic values as opposed to their military or coercive capability. Accordingly, Soft Power has its origins in spirituality and religion and pertains to those qualities of heart and mind which play a key role in fostering world solidarity.

Two Chinese influential government-backed institutions have teamed up with an Indian media group to set up a multi-disciplined body in China to promote trade, research and people-to-people contacts. [...] This will be to collaborate in stimulating high-powered business activity, research and people-to-people contacts at decision-making levels in both private and public sectors, promote research in trade and culture as well as organize seminars and publish academic papers. 

With hosting and qualifying for the World Cup finals listed as long-term goals, the authorities plan to substantially increase the number of young people playing football, with the number of special “soccer schools” raised to 20,000 after five years and to 50,000 in a decade.

The Ambassador to Germany is a career diplomat who has had vast experience of representing the country in various countries of the world; including China. He is considered an authority on Chinese soft power and its role in the emergence of that economy as a global superpower.

Opera, therefore, is one of Italy's key avenues of soft power. It has spread around the world, and leading singers come from everywhere, great performances are sung from New York to Beijing. But opera's soul is still in Italy.

After January 2015’s  presidential polls—otherwise known as the Rainbow Revolution—that ousted “friend of China” Rajapaksa, Beijing’s influence over Colombo was said to be gradually receding from the sandy shores of the island traditionally seen as within India’s periphery of influence.