The emerging ‘Beijing consensus’ – comprising soft power diplomacy and market power, combined with the concept of China’s “peaceful rise” – has influenced Australia’s political and business decision makers that a ‘tilt’ towards Beijing is in the national interest.

Though not specifically indicated, it is not hard to draw an analogy between Beijing’s 100-day campaign in the capital to crack down on “illegal” foreign employers who are working on the wrong visas and Washington’s new policy directive on the regulation of visas held by Chinese teachers at Confucius Institutes.

...China has rediscovered its ancient culture and traditions. Confucius enjoys a remarkable renaissance. All ar­ound the world, China has established Confucius Institutes that spread knowledge about China’s culture and its language. Soft power is not an esoteric asset. It helps a country gain respect and friends in the world at large. And, this can be of great importance, particularly in turbulent times.

One of the cardinal rules of Chinese diplomacy is that China doesn’t mix business with politics. The precept fits in nicely with the primacy that China places on sovereignty, respecting the right of a country—or at least the leaders of the moment—to determine how things ought to work. And, of course, it also provides Beijing with the opportunity to rationalize its lack of enthusiasm for tough foreign policy action in places such as Iran, Syria, Sudan, or Zimbabwe as a matter of principle.

Molly Bodurtha, an American high school student, should have gone back home to New Haven, Connecticut, six months ago. But she tried hard to persuade her parents and her home school to allow her to stay longer in China, which has become just like a second home to her.

The purchase might invigorate a campaign by the Chinese government to boost the country’s “soft power,” or cultural influence, in the U.S. and other countries...According to Xinhua, the Party’s Central Committee said “China is facing a difficult task in protecting ‘cultural security’ and feeling the urgency of enhancing its soft power and the international influence of its own culture.”

The Second Nishan Forum on World Civilizations dedicated to promoting cultural diversity and cross-cultural dialogue opened Monday morning in Confucius' birthplace Qufu. With a theme of "Harmony with diversity and the harmonious world: belief, moral values, respect, solidarity," the three-day event has drawn over 90 experts and scholars from more than 20 countries.